Former Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn has helped to raise much-needed awareness of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) by being interviewed on the Tonight with Trevor McDonald programme, says the British Lung Foundation.
The 68-year-old, who played Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, was forced to quit the role after being diagnosed with COPD five years ago.
British Lung Foundation chairman Dr Keith Prowse also featured in the programme called ‘Liz Dawn – Fighting for Breath’, which was broadcast on 4 February.
“By talking about her experience of living with COPD, Liz Dawn has helped raise much-needed awareness of the disease,” says Keith. “COPD is the UK’s fifth biggest killer, but it doesn’t normally get much attention in the media. The Tonight programme showed very vividly the debilitating impact COPD can have on a person’s life and hopefully will encourage people to ask their doctor for a lung test if they think they are at risk.”
COPD is an umbrella term for conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The disease kills more women than breast cancer in England and Wales, yet 89% of people in the UK have never heard of it.
Those most at risk of COPD are adults over 35 who have a persistent cough, a history of chest infections, are current and ex-smokers or who have worked in dusty atmospheres.
For more information on COPD please click here. To mark World COPD Day in November 2007, the British Lung Foundation released a report pinpointing COPD ‘hotspots’ where people are most at risk of being hospitalized with COPD. To find out more about the Invisible Lives report, please click here.
