Early findings from a collaborative project between Hull’s respiratory team and international biopharmaceutical group, Chiesi, were presented at an international conference this weekend.

Respiratory nurse specialists Kayleigh Brindle and Karen Watkins joined Professor Michael Crooks in travelling to Vienna to present at the 2024 European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2024.

Here, they addressed thousands of delegates with exciting early findings from the FRONTIER project, in which patients who previously attended an NHS Lung Health Check and who reported symptoms of lung disease and/or had emphysema on their CT scan were invited back for further COPD* testing.

During the first phase of the project, 201 people took part and over two thirds of those, 136 people, went on to receive a COPD diagnosis. The NHS Lung Health Check primarily screens for cancer, and these findings demonstrate that the checks also present a notable opportunity to identify and enable timely treatment for other respiratory illnesses.

L-R Karen Watkins, Prof Michael Crooks, and Kayleigh Brindle

Professor Michael Crooks, hospital consultant in respiratory medicine and Professor of Respiratory Medicine with Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull, says:

“Our early findings clearly highlight the burden of undiagnosed COPD among those attending the Lung Health Check programme in Hull.

“Many of those diagnosed with COPD during FRONTIER were living with daily symptoms but had not been able to access treatment due to a lack of diagnosis. Identifying people attending Lung Health Checks that are at high risk of having undiagnosed COPD and offering diagnostic testing enables access to evidence-based COPD care that has potential to significantly improve health outcomes.”

Around 1.4 million people in England aged 40 years or over are living with COPD, and a further 500,000 are thought to be living with the condition but without a formal diagnosis. The main cause of COPD is smoking, but it can also be caused by past exposure to fumes, chemicals and dust at work.

COPD is severely under-diagnosed, with many patients being diagnosed upon acute hospital admission. COPD causes 115,000 emergency admissions in England per year and as many as 24,000 deaths.

FRONTIER, which launched in September 2023 and will run for a further 12 months, seeks to support early COPD diagnosis and enable treatment to begin more quickly in order to improve outcomes for patients. Over the course of the study, around 1,000 people who have taken up the offer of a NHS Lung Health Check in the past will be invited back for COPD testing through spirometry.

Shish Patel, Medical Director, Chiesi UK & Ireland says:

“While chronic, COPD can be effectively managed, and the earlier it is diagnosed, the greater the opportunity for intervention, whether that be lifestyle changes, rehabilitation or treatment. The FRONTIER project represents Chiesi’s commitment to improving the lives of people living with COPD, and we look forward to sharing the full outcomes of the collaboration with the community to inform planning for a nation-wide screening programme.”

* COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, the name used for a group of lung conditions which cause breathing difficulties including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.