LUNG DISEASE IS BRITAIN'S BIGGEST KILLER
by Nicole Martin

Lung disease has overtaken coronary heart disease as Britain's biggest killer, says a study published today.

One in four people dies of lung disease - twice the European Union average - because of a sever shortage of respiratory consultants and vital equipment caused by chronic under-funding of the NHS, claims the report b the British Thoracic Society.

A total of 153,000 people died of lung disease, including lung cancer, pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma, in 1999, compared to 132,000 who died of coronary heart disease, the study shows. Pneumonia was the biggest killer, causing 66,581 deaths.

Only Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - all in the former Soviet Union - and Ireland have higher lung disease death rates than Britain.

The study, The Burden of Lung Disease, shows that women are the biggest victims with a quarter of the female population dying from lung disease, partly because of smoking in the 1950's and 1960's.

Prof Duncan Geddes, president of the BTS, said the Government urgently needed to treble the number if chest specialists in Britain from 570 to 1,700 and thoracic surgeons from 40 to 120, to bring it into line with the rest of Europe.
Daily Telegraph - Wednesday 21st November 2001