550 People Across Europe Will Die Today From a Preventable Lung Disease

On World Spirometry Day, Doctors Urge Regular "MOT Tests for the Lungs"

LONDON, October 14, 2010 - With new data revealing 23 Europeans die each hour[i] from a preventable
lung condition, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) is calling on people
across Europe to get their lungs tested on the first ever World Spirometry
Day - 14th October.

Lung disease is the second biggest killer in Europe, and is rapidly
becoming the third biggest cause of death worldwide.

With 550 Europeans predicted to die from lung disease today,
doctors and nurses across the continent are championing spirometry testing as
the only way to overcome the widespread under-diagnosis of serious lung
conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The most prevalent and debilitating lung disease, COPD is
under-diagnosed in 75% of cases[ii], and global figures show half of patients
remain un-diagnosed. Widespread under-diagnosis means sufferers only realise
they have a serious lung disease once it is too late to prevent major damage,
leaving them unable to carry on a healthy and active life. Women are as at
risk as men, with those most at risk being over 40 and current or ex-smokers.

Regular and early lung testing helps people to identify potentially
debilitating lung conditions before too much damage is done, giving them a
chance to slow the disease's progression before it completely ruins their
lung function - leading to an isolating, painful, and immobile later life.

An MOT for the lungs

Doctors and nurses are taking to the streets across the globe today to
run hundreds of public lung testing events to raise awareness of spirometry
testing - the most accurate way to reassure people that their lungs are
healthy, or to identify any potential danger. Doctors have nicknamed
spirometry testing "the MOT for your lungs," to remind people just how
critical regular testing is.

"Living with a chronic lung condition can be no life at all," said
European Respiratory Society President, Professor Marc Decramer. "In the same
way we take our cars for regular engine checks, people need reminding that
their lungs are the engines of their bodies. Taking regular tests to identify
problems early can save millions from being forced to live large portions of
their lives with painful, but preventable, conditions."

"In the time it takes to read this, someone will have died from a
preventable lung disease in Europe," said Monica Fletcher, Chair of the
European Lung Foundation. "Even scarier to consider are the millions of
sufferers living with impaired quality of life because their conditions were
not identified early enough. On World Spirometry Day we want people to know
that their doctors' and nurses' are here to help - early testing is a
positive first step and can dramatically improve outcomes. The message should
be: don't be afraid to find out."

After being misdiagnosed with asthma for 8 years, Leigh Wilkinson, 44
from Grimsby in the UK, was finally accurately diagnosed thanks to a
spirometry test, said: "I am so grateful that I pushed my doctor to give me a
spirometry test, which revealed that I had developed COPD and emphysema. I
understand why people want to avoid learning about the damage they may be
doing to themselves but when I took the plunge I did it as much for my family
as myself and it's the best step I've ever taken."

World Spirometry Day is taking place as part of the Year of the Lung, a
2010 campaign to highlight the hundreds of millions of people who
unnecessarily struggle for life and breath every day due to lung diseases.

For information about World Spirometry Day, and the testing events taking
place in your area or across Europe, please visit:
www.yearofthelung.org/wsd-events

Notes to editors

Year of the Lung

Organised by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), the
Year of the Lung aims to raise awareness about lung health among the public,
initiate action in communities worldwide, and advocate for resources to
combat lung disease including increased investment in basic, clinical and
translational research worldwide.

[i] Statistics are based on new desk research from the ERS using data
from the IMCA, Eurostat and the Euopean Lung white book II. Calculations are
an estimate based on the overall number of deaths from COPD in 2008

[ii] Data from the European Respiratory Journal January 1, 2008 vol. 31
no. 1 197-203, Primary care spirometry by E. Derom, C. van Weel, G. Liistro,
J. Buffels, T. Schermer, E. Lammers, E. Wouters and M. Decramer

For further information please contact Rakhee Shah on +44-20-7815-3900, +44-7526-275-073 or Rakhee.shah at munroforster.com