Health News
Respiratory Health 2019
-
Living with emphysema: the story of Con Power
Ex-international showjumper, 66-year-old Con Power, led an active life, but his 40-a-day habit finally caught up with him and he faced an unhappy diagnosis. Con Power led an active life, surrounded by the Irish hills of County Meath. Each morning he climbed up and down the hills attending to his four horses but, seven years...
-
Cystic Fibrosis: From life limiting to a manageable condition
I began as CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland in 2009. The first priority identified by the Board was to organise a series of meetings around Ireland to hear at first hand the issues facing people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and their families. The fear for adult CF patients was going into hospitals. They often ended...
-
Air pollution requires urgent and concerted action in Ireland
Air pollution is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around seven million premature deaths each year. In 2016, air pollution was responsible for an estimated 1,180 early deaths in Ireland. Air pollution is considered by the World Health Organization to be as harmful to an individual as smoking. It is linked to heart...
-
A spotlight on emphysema and COPD in Ireland
Feeling like you cannot get a full breath could be a sign of ‘air hunger’ caused by emphysema or chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD). With half a million people aged 40 years and over suffering with emphysema or COPD in Ireland, more funding is needed for treatment. I was standing in the lift one day...
-
The respiratory health of the nation
The lungs are essential for life and all of us at one time or another have experienced breathlessness, a common and often chronic and disabling symptom for people with respiratory disease. The Irish Thoracic Society, the national organisation representing respiratory healthcare professionals on the island of Ireland, recently published ‘Respiratory Health of the Nation’, a...