COPD is a long-term lung condition that can cause breathlessness, coughing, overproduction of mucus (sputum or phlegm) and sometimes wheezing.
COPD is a long-term lung condition that can cause breathlessness, coughing, overproduction of mucus (sputum or phlegm) and sometimes wheezing.
Around 15,000 Kiwis - a number of them Māori and Pasifika - living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death in New Zealand, could benefit from the funding of a new medicine.
The Pharmac funding will allow people suffering from COPD to switch from using multiple inhalers to the first single-inhaler treatment for the disease.
COPD comprises diseases like bronchitis and emphysema that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems and is often underdiagnosed. It is affects approximately 200,000 (15%) of all New Zealanders over the age of 45.
The burden of the disease is inequitably borne by Māori and Pasifika people, who are more likely to be diagnosed with and are more severely impacted by COPD.
A study of over 73,000 people has shown half of all patients died within four years of their first hospitalisation for a severe COPD exacerbation. An exacerbation is known as a flare-up.
Hospitalisation rates for Māori are nearly four times as high as those for non-Māori and other ethnicities (excluding Asian and Pasifika people), and by region, hospitalisation rates for Māori are highest in the central and Te Manawa Taki regions and in the northern region for Pasifika peoples.
Among New Zealanders aged 50–64, Māori are approximately five times more likely to die from COPD-related causes than non-Māori and are affected by COPD up to 20 years earlier.
Specialist Dr Robert Young says COPD is difficult to diagnose and many patients dismiss symptoms such as breathlessness as being a normal part of the ageing process.
“Often people with COPD don’t even mention to their healthcare provider that they are experiencing shortness of breath during normal daily activities as they may believe it is just part of growing older, when it can be the first sign that they have COPD,” he says.
Young says he would like to see greater intervention at early stages and increased use of spirometry, a common lung function test to diagnose COPD in its earliest stages.
“We know globally that during the past 30 years, the number of COPD cases and deaths have increased significantly, yet 70-80% of adults with the disease remain undiagnosed.”
Young says early intervention, quitting smoking and subsequent treatment will not only improve the lives of those living with COPD but help address the burden of disease.
“COPD continues to have a significant health and economic impact. Patients must live with a reduced quality of life and increased likelihood of additional comorbidities, in turn putting additional economic strain on resources. Research shows that with earlier diagnosis and treatment, there may be improvements in disease progression and patient outcomes,” he says.
In the first year of funding, around 15,000 Kiwis living with COPD will be able to step up from using two-in-one combination inhalers or switch from multiple-inhaler triple-therapy to a single-inhaler three-in-one triple-therapy combination known as Trelegy Ellipta.
