General News
20 November, 2025
Breathtaking hotspot
FAR North Queensland is among the country’s top 20 hotspots for a deadly lung condition, according to a new report.
The Cassowary Coast is home to more than 600 Aussies living with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), of which emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common forms.
Unveiled at Australian Parliament House 31 October, the ‘Change that can’t wait: Reducing the human and economic burden of COPD in Australia’ report by health advisory firm Evohealth also found that more Australians lose their lives to COPD than to prostate and breast cancers combined.
Supported by Sanofi Australia, the report shines a light on the significant burden of the little-known condition in Australia, highlighting that COPD:
Is the No. 1 cause of preventable hospital admissions in Australia, responsible for one hospital admission every 10 minutes (53,000 per year), which accounts for 268,000 bed days each year.
Claims more than 7600 Australian lives each year.
Costs the Australian healthcare system $1.67 billion annually.
Is three times more prevalent in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage.
Will become more common, with the number of affected Australians increasing from 526,000 to more than 843,000 by 2050.
The report also warns that more than eight-in-10 Australians being treated for COPD have not undergone spirometry testing to measure how much air they can breathe in and out in the 12 months before or following the start of COPD therapy. This is despite spirometry being widely recognised as the gold standard for diagnosing COPD and assessing its severity.
“When it comes to lung disease, Australia can do much better. Current approaches to COPD management are failing many of the half-a-million Australians living with this condition,” said report contributor Professor Christine Jenkins, program head, respiratory at The George Institute for Global Health.
“Delayed diagnosis, inconsistencies in care, and limited access to effective treatments are driving many of these Australians into hospital time and time again, adding further strain to healthcare resources and budgets,” she said.
The report makes a number of recommendations for reducing the burden of COPD and improving its management in Australia – chief among them the boosting of spirometry testing in primary care to enable early and accurate COPD diagnosis and assessment.
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