Thousands of patients are missing the chance of potentially life-saving treatment for one of the most serious lung conditions, according to new figures.

A study of almost 39,000 men and women in the UK with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder – COPD – shows that 85 per cent could have been diagnosed years earlier.

COPD is the name for a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease. Primarily, sufferers experience difficulty breathing due to narrowing of their airways.

Many COPD cases go undiagnosed, yet early diagnosis and treatment is vital to improve patients’ quality of life.

Lead researcher Dr Rupert Jones, from Plymouth University Peninsular School of Medicine and Dentistry, says: “The substantial number of patients misdiagnosed and under-diagnosed in this study is a cause for concern.

“It is important that COPD is diagnosed as early as possible so effective treatment can be used to try to reduce lung damage, improve quality of life, and even life expectancy.”

However, experts in Bradford are in many ways trail-blazing in terms of their treatment in lung conditions such as COPD.

Dr Dinesh Saralaya, consultant respiratory physician and researcher at Bradford Institute of Health Research within Bradford Royal lnfirmary, says: “COPD affects at least one million people in this country, but we think there is a further two to three million who remain undiagnosed, and they are called the missing millions.”

Many patients may present with what appears to be a chest infection. Lack of awareness limits diagnosis, but a patient’s history, such as whether they are a smoker, is often crucial in detecting whether they are suffering from the symptoms of COPD, which can also lead to breathlessness and tightening of the chest.

“Nationally, awareness of COPD is rising – we are better than we were ten years ago but there is still a lot of work to be done. Smoking history and taking a lung function test can help in making the diagnosis,” explains Dr Saralaya.

Once a patient has been diagnosed, they could benefit from the bronchodilator – treatment to open up the breathing tubes – currently being trialled in Bradford.

“We have trail-blazed in Bradford in that we have been the only centre taking part in the whole of Yorkshire, we are taking part and helping patients enrol into trials which involve using this new bronchodilator,” explains Dr Saralaya.

There are currently 36 COPD patients in the UK and 120 throughout the world participating in the Novartis research trial.

The 12-week study, taking place in six centres in the UK and six other countries, will determine whether a single bronchodilator is better than a combination of two bronchodilators.

Joan Roberts, a 70-year-old retired book-keeper from Odsal, is the first in the world to participate in this particular trial.

Joan was diagnosed in 2009, but was more aware of COPD than most as her husband Kenneth, also 70 and a retired salesman, was diagnosed with the condition in 2003 after suffering his third collapsed lung. Both were smokers.

Joan believes lack of awareness is the reason why many go undiagnosed. “I think the General Practitioners don’t know enough about it. They should go on more courses to be COPD-aware,” says Joan.

She also believes patients who are breathless and struggling to climb stairs should ask for a spirometry test, which can detect various lung conditions.

“Once they have had that they can say straight away and can get you on to something which makes life much more pleasant,” says Joan.

She and Kenneth have both been involved in previous treatment trials. As well as helping them, the couple are conscious it will help others. “It is making life easier for everybody because COPD is rife, there are a lot of people with it,” says Joan.

“It is a silent disease in a way because you look perfectly well. People say there can’t be anything wrong with you – you may look well but you are not well. It is hidden inside, but you learn to cope with it and that is what it is all about.”

Dr Saralaya says the treatment trials for COPD in Bradford are a huge achievement for the city. “Bradford patients are able to take part in large multicentric trials. We have a unique opportunity for patients to experience this sort of treatment and we have been a very successful centre. We have recently been commended by the National Institute of Health Research for recruiting not only the UK first patient but the global first. Joan is the first around the world to enter into the study,” says Dr Saralaya.

“Bradford has a reputation for good delivery of trials. They have a good patient cohort and it gives us the opportunity for Bradford patients to enrol into future trials as well.”