Lung Health Test Online: Interview with Professor Stephen Holgate -
Prof. Stephen Holgate THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ... overview of the world's foremost experts Interview conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt , MA (Cantab)
How many people are thought to be living with lung disease and why many people are unaware their poor lung health
in our last report - the Battle for Breath - the impact of lung disease in the UK, the figures suggest that 1 to 5 (about 12.7 million) have been diagnosed with lung disease in the UK. If you are aged over 70, this figure rises to 1 in 3.
© British lung Foundation
poor lung health can sometimes come gradually and adjust their lives around it. For example, a key of lung disease sign increases dyspnea. Anecdotal evidence suggests that people tend to change their behavior and adapt to their dyspnea rather than getting medical advice. They can stop doing something they normally do and just accept as normal dyspnea.
Breathlessness is different from pain eg where people do not usually ask for help. Shortness of breath is a symptom that normally comes with the effort, so that people start sometimes do less instead of seeking advice.
The point is that people do not know when they have crossed the line between what is normal and what is abnormal. The questionnaire of the British Lung Foundation allows people to determine this by a small number of questions.
© British Lung Foundation
Can you please describe the "breath test" in line British lung Foundation are running to raise awareness of lung health. How to test the job done?
Listen to your lungs is the public health campaign BLF to find the millions of people living with undiagnosed lung disease. The campaign will encourage people not to ignore the feeling of breath doing everyday tasks and take a breath test singles online to see if they may need to see a GP.
People are asked to answer ten questions based around the dyspnea scale of the Medical Research Council. This test will support the campaign by helping people to decide if they need to see a GP. The aim is to reassure people that do not have a problem and guide those significant dyspnea to make an appointment with their GP. To take the breath test visit: www.blf.org.uk/breathtest
Listen to your lungs supports the launch of national Be Clear on Cancer campaign July 14 Health England public, raising awareness of persistent cough and dyspnea inappropriate as possible symptoms of lung disease, including lung cancer and heart disease.
© British Lung Foundation
where people access the test and what the ratings will give it
breath test is online here: www.blf.org.uk/breathtest
test provides an overall view overall health and well-being of a person. If someone scores 1 or above, they should visit their GP and gave some advice to help improve their health, such as exercise more, stop smoking and lose weight.
Why is the test recently launched in the House of Commons?
This launch is the basis of our parliamentary campaign to increase awareness of lung disease in the United Kingdom between our policy and officials. We launched with the support of public health for England minister Jane Ellison MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Respiratory Stephen McPartland.
© British Lung Foundation
What impact do you hope the test will?
We hope to have at least 100,000 people taking the test and the advice to improve their lung health. This may increase the number of people diagnosed with lung diseases and provides a prevention and early diagnosis setting point.
Who should get tested?
Anyone who feels out of breath doing everyday tasks. Lung disease does not discriminate and could develop in any age, socioeconomic group and race.
A child may have asthma for example, they can get out of breath and wake up at night or when they exercise. Cancer, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary hypertension are among many other lung diseases that can present as dyspnea
© British Lung Foundation
Getting people to the GP in the first instance is crucial. It is also important to educate health professionals also ensure that when people raise concerns about dyspnea, they also study for pulmonary underlying disease.
Have Health professionals were informed about the test?
Yes, the British Lung Foundation sent packs of breathlessness every GP practice in the UK. We will also work with health professional organizations later this year to help raise awareness.
© British Lung Foundation
What are the signs of lung disease people should be concerned?
There are many signs of lung disease, the main ones are shortness of breath and cough that lasts more than three weeks and no improvement after medication or significant breathlessness doing everyday tasks.
How can we know what is normal versus abnormal?
It is abnormal when people experience shortness of breath to do normal daily activities. Each person has their own normal daily routine.
Instead of reducing their activity due to dyspnea, they should consult their doctor.
How can we differentiate between lung function decline of normal aging and lung disease?
decline in lung function due to aging happens very gradually to all of us for many years. In this campaign, we are talking about changes that may occur gradually, but more severely or more quickly in the weeks or months for example.
© British Lung Foundation
if someone visit their doctor if they experience shortness of breath when running, a daily activity normal?
It depends on how active they are. We advise them to take the test of the first term, he will tell them if they need to be worried or make an appointment with their GP.
where readers find more information on lung test and eHealth lung?
Visit: www.blf.org.uk details of the campaign and our statistics on lung health are available to display
Could you please explain how you work with the public health England.?
public health in England want to increase the diagnosis of lung disease, so they are starting their own initiative dyspnea, including dyspnea as a potential symptom of lung and heart disease and cancer . It is rare that dyspnea is one symptom of lung cancer; Other symptoms include coughing and weight loss.
© British Lung Foundation
where readers find more information?
Visit our website: www.blf.org.uk
The British Lung Foundation also have a hotline: 03000 030 555
We will also provide details on our social media pages through Facebook and Twitter.
about Professor Stephen Holgate 
Professor Stephen Holgate's Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Professor of immunopharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK.
Stephen spent two years at Harvard Medical School to become proficient in the mechanisms of allergic diseases. Back in Southampton, Stephen has set up a research group focused on asthma mechanisms.
He is a former president of the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and British Thoracic Society.
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