European experts want lung testing to become a "basic right" as a major global conference on the topic convenes in the UK.
The COPD8 conference is taking place in Birmingham and next Wednesday has been declared World Spirometry Day with backing from the European Lung Foundation.
An organisation called the European COPD coalition says the EU could establish spirometry lung testing across Europe and push for better training for healthcare professionals.
COPD is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is used to described a range of chronic lung conditions, such as "smokers’ cough".
As lung specialists gather in Birmingham, local hospitals are offering free lung testing to members of the public to highlight the issue.
Coalition general secretary Catherine Hartmann said: “Despite the magnitude of its current impact, dealing with COPD could actually be a relatively quick win for policy makers.
"Earlier diagnosis stands to reduce the burden of the disease considerably, both for patients and the health service. The need for quality spirometry testing as standard, and adequate training for the clinicians who deliver it, must finally be put on the agenda.”
European Lung Foundation chair Monica Fletcher said: “For too long lung diseases like COPD have been ignored at a European level with other diseases taking priority. With up to ten per cent of adults in Europe living with COPD, it’s time for this to change.
"The number one focus must be on early diagnosis to ensure people are started on the correct treatments when they can still make a difference – and that includes keeping physically active.
"Spirometry can play a key part in this diagnosis and we’d urge policy makers to make it a basic right for all.”
UK health minister Simon Burns told the conference yesterday that the British health service is starting to focus on the condition.
He said: "Over the last two years we’ve made significant progress on battling COPD. We have given healthcare professionals the freedom and resources to focus on outcomes, and have published guidance to help all of the NHS reach the level of the best.
“We’re aiming to give people with COPD an early and accurate diagnosis, so they can learn to manage their disease, keeping them out of hospital for longer and improving their quality of life.”
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