PEOPLE in Northern Ireland are more likely than anywhere else in the UK to suffer from the incurable lung condition Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).
According to the British Lung Foundation (BLF) there are currently around 1,300 people in the north with the condition which has claimed 679 lives between 2008 and 2012.
The condition is a type of interstitial lung disease (ILD), which causes continuous scarring of the lungs, which makes it increasingly difficult for those living with it to breathe.
Currently, there is no known cause or cure, and average life expectancy after diagnosis is between three and five years.
According to the BLF, many people living with the condition in Northern Ireland still aren’t getting the diagnosis, support or care they need.
To mark IPF Week, which runs until Sunday, the BLF has launched a new report which looks at ILD and IPF services across the UK, making key recommendations to improve the experiences of people living with this disease. This includes developing new care pathways.
Dr Eoin Murtagh, Consultant Respiratory Physician in the Northern Health & Social Care Trust, said the development of an ILD pathway for Northern Ireland was "an important first step" but said "commitment, and importantly the resources, to effectively implement this plan" were needed.
"In Northern Ireland, death rates due to IPF are among the highest in the world, and we need to ensure that people living with IPF in Northern Ireland have access to review by specialist teams, access to treatments and access to support for themselves and their families in managing their symptoms."
