The Value of Early COPD Diagnosis (with live Q&A)

The Asthma and Lung UK 2021 report showed there were significant issues with delays in the diagnosis and quality care of people with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the UK and in many cases those without treatment or a diagnosis, risk deterioration.¹ Evidence shows that many people live with symptoms for years before receiving a formal diagnosis, resulting in missed opportunities for timely intervention and avoidable deterioration in lung health.² Earlier identification allows patients to access evidence‑based pharmacological and non‑pharmacological interventions sooner, including smoking cessation support, vaccination, pulmonary rehabilitation and optimised inhaled therapy.³

Late COPD diagnosis is associated with a shorter time-to-first exacerbation and a higher rate and risk of exacerbations compared with early diagnosis. Additionally, late diagnosis of COPD is associated with a higher rate of COPD-related hospitalizations compared with early diagnosis.⁴ Although, causality cannot be fully established due to limited randomised trial data, economic modelling from multiple healthcare systems including the UK suggests that targeted case‑finding for COPD is cost‑effective, with benefits for both patients and health services.⁵

From a NHS perspective, delayed diagnosis contributes to growing COPD backlogs, inequitable access to care and increasing pressure on primary and secondary care services. National surveys show that many patients with diagnosed COPD still fail to receive the basic components of high‑quality care, emphasising the need for improved diagnostic pathways to enable timely, structured disease management.³

This webinar will explore why early COPD diagnosis matters, the consequences of delayed identification, and practical approaches to addressing local diagnostic backlogs; supporting clinicians to improve outcomes for patients while working within real‑world healthcare constraints.

We hope you can join us on Tuesday 26^th May at 12:30-13:30.

References

1.  Aaron S D, et al. Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The Costs and Benefits of Case Finding. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024. 209; 8: 928–37.

2. British Lung Foundation. 2021. Failing on the fundamentals: Insights from those living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the UK. British Lung Foundation.

3. Jones R, et al. Opportunities to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in routine care in the UK: a retrospective study of a clinical cohort. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2014; 2, 267-76.

4. Asthma & Lung UK., COPD in the UK – delayed diagnosis and equal care, 2022 COPD survey 2022.

5. Kostikas K, et al.Clinical Impact and Healthcare Resource Utilization Associated with Early versus Late COPD Diagnosis in Patients from UK CPRD Database. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2020 Oct 16;15: 1729-38.

If you are experiencing any issues viewing the webinar please click here to view the webinar through the Zoom platform.

• Professor Michael Steiner

  Professor of Respiratory Medicine

  Read biography
  Professor Michael Steiner

  Professor of Respiratory Medicine

  Role and Location
  Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester, honorary clinical professor at Loughborough University and honorary consultant at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.

  Education
  Professor Steiner graduated in Medicine from the University College & Middlesex School of Medicine in 1990. He undertook his specialist training in Respiratory Medicine in North Trent and was appointed as consultant at Glenfield in 2002.

  Research Interests
  Michael Steiner is a leading member of the Centre for Exercise and Rehabilitation Science at Glenfield Hospital. His research interests are in the fields of chronic respiratory disease management, pulmonary rehabilitation, skeletal muscle dysfunction, exercise and training physiology and nutritional support in COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases.

  He is a key member of the Leicester Respiratory BRU, leading projects focusing on the pathophysiology of skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD and the response to treatment within all three research areas (translational molecular discovery, Phenotyping and Biomarkers, and Clinical Interventions). With the support of the BRU, he has led the development of an innovative Advanced COPD service and clinical cohort.

  He has a longstanding collaboration with Professor Paul Greenhaff at Nottingham University which resulted in the award of a MRC experimental medicine grant in 2006 (value £700k). This led to participation in the UK MRC/ABPI national COPD consortium (COPD MAP). He is deputy lead for workpackage 4 (Reducing the burden of COPD by targeting skeletal muscle mass and function) which aims to generate new clinically relevant knowledge and by working closely with Pharma partners, facilitate and accelerate the development of new therapeutic approaches in COPD.

  He was lead for the Rehabilitation Theme of the NIHR CLAHRC for LNR (2008-13) which delivered a portfolio of applied research and implementation projects, extending the scope of Pulmonary Rehabilitation and exercise therapy to other healthcare settings (including primary and acute care) and long-term conditions (such as cardiac failure). Examples are an innovative web-based self-management approach to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, the REACH trial, a large (> 350 patients) two-centre trial of rehabilitation during hospitalisation for acute exacerbation of COPD, and a clinical trial of supported self-management for patients with COPD managed in primary care. The theme incorporates a programme of implementation which will assist partner trusts in making use of research evidence from applied research conducted by the theme. The theme employed around 18 members of staff over its five-year term, including three PhD students.

  Memberships
  – Associate editor of Thorax (from July 2010).
  – Member of the European Respiratory Society nutrition task force
  – Member of the ATS/ERS skeletal muscle statement group
  – Member of the British Thoracic Society science and research committee (2010-13).
  – Deputy lead for workpackage 4 of the national MRC/ABPI COPD consortium, an industrial/academic collaboration aiming to assist drug development aimed at improving skeletal muscle function in COPD.
  – Lead for the National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Workstream of the HQIP commissioned National COPD audit.
  – Co-chair the BTS Pulmonary Rehabilitation Quality Standards Group.

• Dr Matthew Swallow

  Respiratory Lead and GP partner

  Read biography
  Dr Matthew Swallow

  Respiratory Lead and GP partner Birmingham and Solihull

  Role and Location 
  Dr Swallow is a GP partner and trainer at Bournbrook Varsity Medical Centre.

  He is the Respiratory Lead for the SDSmyhealthcare federation. Dr Swallow works for Birmingham and Solihull ICB as Community Respiratory Champion.

  Education
  Matthew Swallow graduated from Peninsula Medical School in 2012. After completing his foundation training in the West Midlands, he joined the South Birmingham GP Vocational Training Scheme.

  He was awarded an Academic Clinical Fellow post at the University of Birmingham, working on several projects with the Birmingham Lung Improvement Studies team. He completed an MSc in ‘Clinical Primary and Community Care’ with a respiratory research focus.

  Research Interests
  In this role as Community Respiratory Champion, he is responsible for providing senior clinical leadership to the redesign of respiratory diagnostic and management pathways.