Hume has been identified among the nations worst-affected areas for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with new data revealing hundreds of local residents living with the debilitating lung condition.
According to health advisory firm Evohealth, there were a reported 809 severe cases in Hume, placing the municipality among Australia’s top hotspots for the disease.
COPD, of which emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common forms, is an incurable and progressive lung disease that causes breathing difficulty.
It is caused by lung tissue damage and inflammation, leading to narrowing of the airways and inability of the lungs to fully expand and contract.
According to health advisory firm Evohealth, it is a “preventable and treatable, yet shockingly common” lung condition responsible for more than 7600 deaths every year and more potentially preventable hospital admissions than any other cause.
In a new report from the organisation titled ‘The Change that can’t wait: Reducing the human and economic burden of COPD in Australia’, it states that each year across the country, COPD is responsible for 53,000 hospital admissions in those aged 45 and over and accounts for 268,000 bed days, with the condition also costing the Australian healthcare system $1.67 billion annually.
The report predicts these figures are set to increase, with the number of Australians living with COPD expected to rise from 526,000 to more than 843,000 by 2050.
Evohealth managing director Renae Beardmore said COPD rates are more than three times higher in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, reflecting the disease’s deep link to inequity.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also experience highly inequitable COPD outcomes, being almost five times more likely to be hospitalised with COPD than non-Indigenous Australians,” Ms Beardmore said.
The report presents five recommendations for adoption by federal, state and territory governments, including boosting spirometry use in primary care to enable early and accurate COPD diagnosis and monitoring, expanding partnerships and programs to improve alignment to clinical care standards, and expanding and funding programs that better manage transitions of care and optimise treatment.
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