Melton is one of 25 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hotspots in Australia, according to a new report.
COPD, of which emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common forms, is an incurable and progressive lung disease that causes breathing difficulty.
It is caused by lung tissue damage and inflammation, leading to narrowing of the airways and inability of the lungs to fully expand and contract.
According to health advisory firm Evohealth, it is a “preventable and treatable, yet shockingly common” lung condition responsible for more than 7600 deaths every year and more potentially preventable hospital admissions than any other cause.
In a new report from the organisation titled ‘The Change that can’t wait: Reducing the human and economic burden of COPD in Australia’, it states that each year across the country, COPD is responsible for 53,000 hospital admissions in those aged 45 and over and accounts for 268,000 bed days, with the condition also costing the Australian healthcare system $1.67 billion annually.
The report predicts that these figures are set to increase, with the number of Australians living with COPD expected to rise from 526,000 to more than 843,000 by 2050.
According to modelling by Evohealth, there are an estimated 608 severe cases of COPD in the Melton municipality.
Evohealth managing director Renae Beardmore said the organisation knows that COPD rates are more than three times higher in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, which likely contributes to a disproportionate impact on these communities.
“Further, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience highly inequitable COPD outcomes. Not only are they more likely to be diagnosed with severe or very severe COPD, but are hospitalised with COPD almost five times more often than non-Indigenous Australians,” she said.
“Measures to improve COPD management in Australia must acknowledge and address the fact that this is clearly a disease of inequity.”
The report presents five recommendations for adoption by federal, state and territory governments, including boosting spirometry use in primary care to enable early and accurate COPD diagnosis and monitoring, expanding partnerships and programs to improve alignment to clinical care standards, and expanding and funding programs that better manage transitions of care and optimise treatment.
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