University of Tasmania researchers are calling for smokers and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to help with the fight against it.
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UTAS Exercise and Sports Science Associate Professor Andrew Williams is leading research - funded by the Clifford Craig Foundation - to measure lung damage in the earlier stage of COPD - while the damage is potentially reversible.
Speaking on world COPD day, Professor Williams explained research into the disease was at a critical point, but required an additional 25 volunteers to join the study for research to continue.
He said the project was designed around three subject groups with different levels of COPD - present, early and none.
Professor Williams said the research team needed to find another 12 to 15 smokers and 10 participants with existing COPD for the study to progress.
"We have reached the halfway point, but we are having difficulty recruiting smokers and people living with COPD," said.
Ella Miller is a retired teacher who has been smoking since her early 20s and is one of the participants in the study with COPD.
The 75-year-old said after responding to an ad in the paper, she met with Professor Williams and his team who explained the purpose of the research and the importance it could play in addressing respiratory diseases.
Ms Miller said while she was nervous and a little embarrassed about confronting the health impact decades of smoking has had on her lungs, she said doing nothing was worse.
"You've got to think, If you want change and if you want better methods of diagnosis and treatment, If you don't do anything, nothing's going to change," she said.
Dr Sukhwinder Sohal is one of the researchers working on the program and said Tasmanians were at higher risk of developing COPD.
"If we look at the smoking rates of Tasmanians, we are actually second highest in the country at the moment. So, quite high smoking rates and a lot of COPD is underdiagnosed," he said.
Dr Sohal said the work the team were doing could allow doctors to detect early changes in patients lungs and airways, which with treatment, could allow doctors to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing respiratory diseases.
"When we look at the early stages, the damage which has already occurred cannot be reversed because the airways are gone, but what we can do is save some of the airways undamaged and that can help to stop the disease progressing forward," he said.
If you are interested in participating in the study contact the UTAS' School of Health Sciences on 6324 5400.
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