Suffering from a persistent cough? It could be a hidden lung disease, experts say – while research shows thousands of patients with obvious chest symptoms have been ‘blanketed off’ by doctors for more than a decade

Incurable lung diseases may be going unnoticed in thousands of people who suffer from chronic coughs and respiratory infections, experts say.

One in five people wait longer than a year before being diagnosed with a chronic lung condition, according to new research from Asthma + Lung UK.

More than half of the people seeking medical care for cough and respiratory infections were treated for the immediate symptoms, but the underlying cause was not investigated at the time.

However, recurring coughing fits and infections can be early warning signs of lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Currently, 1.7 million people in the UK are living with COPD, which causes breathing problems and increases the risk of serious infections. However, experts believe that 600,000 people remain undiagnosed.

The data also shows that two in five people diagnosed with COPD do not start treatment within the recommended 18-week period, with more than 6,000 waiting more than a year.

And a shocking finding is that one in eight does not receive a diagnosis until more than ten years later.

If COPD is left untreated, the disease will get worse and the risk of other long-term medical conditions will increase.

Shortness of breath can cause people to be less active, making them more susceptible to other medical problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

In asthma, a condition that affects more than 7.2 million people, accurate and early diagnosis can control symptoms and prevent asthma attacks with proper treatment.

Although lung disease is the third biggest cause of death in the UK, there are currently no national targets to reduce the time someone has to wait for diagnosis when they show symptoms.

Diana Muirhead, 60, is eager to start treatment. She has been on the waiting list for months for a spirometry test to confirm she has COPD.

The Norfolk mother of four says she feels like her life is ‘literally at a standstill until then’.

‘I can’t work at the moment because I feel short of breath and tired all the time. But despite an X-ray in January showing that I probably have COPD, I can’t get treatment because it has to be confirmed with a spirometry test,’ she explained.

‘In the meantime, I struggle with daily activities such as cleaning and shopping and I feel constantly exhausted because I can’t breathe properly.

‘I’m concerned because the sooner COPD is treated the better, because treatment slows down its progression.

‘I feel like I’m in a vacuum because I don’t know when I’m going to get diagnosed. It’s horrible.

‘The nurse referred me for an x-ray and put me on the waiting list for a spirometry test, but told me I would have to wait ‘a long time’ because the list was so long. I have no idea how long I will have to wait now.

‘The government really needs to put a time limit on diagnosing lung conditions, like there is for diagnosing cancer, and make sure that spirometry tests are available in GP surgeries so that people can get tested straight away. Lung conditions are very serious and should be treated as such.’

UK charity Asthma + Lung is calling on the government to provide long-term funding for GP practices to carry out tests for lung conditions, including spirometry and FeNO (fractional exhaled nitric oxide).

Only half of GPs currently use FeNO testing, which can be crucial for diagnosing asthma.

Asthma + Lung UK also wants to see national targets set for the diagnosis of lung conditions, to ensure that no one has to wait longer than six weeks for a diagnostic test, and to halve waiting lists by 2028.

CEO Sarah Sleet said: ‘People who have difficulty breathing have to wait a long time for the correct diagnosis.

‘They are misdiagnosed, or diagnosed too late, or they are not getting the right treatment.

‘As a result, the pressure on the NHS is growing with more emergency and hospital admissions. We need to treat lung disease as seriously as cancer and heart disease.

‘A band-aid solution that treats the symptoms and not the underlying cause means that too many people with lung diseases remain undiagnosed for far too long.’