A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO)/Europe, published on Thursday 12 June, reveals that chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) - in particular asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung conditions - are widely under-diagnosed and poorly managed. What is more, their impact on healthcare systems in the WHO European Region remains largely underestimated, according to the authors of the report.
According to the report, CRD affects 81.7 million people in the WHO European Region.
CRD is one of the main causes of disability and death in Europe, particularly as an underlying cause of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
What is even more worrying is that diagnostic capabilities and tools such as spirometry are still inadequate, primary care services often misdiagnose patients or are slow to refer them, and healthcare professionals lack the training to identify these pathologies early. High rates of co-morbidities and complications, lack of reliable health data and weak reporting systems can distort the attribution of causes of death, masking the true impact of untreated CRD.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/ha3 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)