‘We Need to Understand This Disease to Fight It’

By chris peregine

They are often seen as poor relations in the world of medical research.

Lung disease may be common enough in most people’s perception, but experts in the field know a lot more can be done to get to grips with a particular group of conditions within that category.

The conditions come under the umbrella of pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring of the lungs, and there are around 200 of them.

And even though it is still not known what causes these diseases, there is nowhere near enough research or treatment being funded for them. That is despite the fact they can have a severe impact on patients’ lives, not to mention clogging up hospital beds. More specialist doctors and nurses would also help.

Anything like that would be welcome to people such as Meidrim Thomas.

The former purchasing manager at Swansea’s Dragon Hotel has been going to the city’s Morriston Hospital for 15 years to get help with his condition.

“I have a shortness of breath, tightness of the chest, a bit of bronchitis and a cough,” said 79-year-old Mr Thomas, of Banwen Place in Lower Brynaman. “I use a ventilation puffer to relieve the bronchitis.”

Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment to help the lung fibrosis.

Nowadays he only has to pop into the hospital once a year for the equivalent of an MOT on the condition.

“It keeps an eye on me,” said Mr Thomas, who until two years ago was still able to carry out his duties as a course ranger at Glynhir Golf Club in Llandybie.

This breathlessness and cough, which gets slowly worse over time, is typical of lung fibrosis. He has lived with his condition for years but feels that more research should be carried out. In short, it should climb up the priority list.

“Definitely more needs to be looked into,” he said.

At Morriston he is grateful for the work of Kim Harrison and Mat Jones who are conducting their own research into the subject.

Dr Harrison chairs the British Association for Lung Research and is a member of the UK Respiratory Research Collaborative. He has been on the research trail for eight years and was joined by his colleague last January as the work continued.

“Pulmonary fibrosis is the medical term for scarring of the lungs,” said Dr Harrison. “People who develop these diseases usually suffer from breathlessness and many also complain of a dry cough. In some people we are able to identify a cause, such as asbestos, but in many cases the cause is completely unknown and the condition is known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

“IPF and conditions like it get relatively little publicity although, in fact, they account for about 15 per cent of a chest specialist’s workload. Approximately 4,000 people a year develop IPF in the UK and it appears to be becoming more common.

“IPF causes about as many deaths as say, cancer of the stomach or cancer of the uterus, but despite this, there has been very little research into treatments for people who develop it.”

Previous studies at the hospital by Dr Harrison and his colleagues have shown there are chemical imbalances in the lungs of patients with IPF, which might be responsible for the cough but a cure remains elusive.

The two doctors are now carrying out more research into coughs and IPF.

“Patients lose on average seven years of life,” said Dr Harrison. “It is a disease that is out there. There are more than 80 patients with the condition who come to my clinic at Morriston Hospital.

“People are usually given steroids and small doses of anti- cancer drugs but the proof that there are clear benefits is not very strong. More research is needed to treat the disease’s progression and the cough.”

Slowing progression rather than curing it is more realistic.

“Once lungs have a scar, it is irreversible,” he said. “It is very much a neglected condition. Chest specialists who form the UK Respiratory Research Collaborative identified pulmonary fibrosis as one of five key areas which are in urgent need of more research.”

The others were COPD, asthma, lung cancer and respiratory diseases of childhood. “I am very pleased that finally the need for more attention to be paid to pulmonary fibrosis has been recognised,” said Dr Harrison.

Government funding is not the issue, though.

“This has changed considerably in the last couple of years and the funding is out there,” said Dr Harrison. “I believe what is required for IPF is specialist centres, like Morriston, to develop across Wales to provide expertise in caring for patients, training doctors for the future and participating in clinical trials of new treatments.

“If such centres worked together, we could learn a lot more about IPF and how to treat it.”

(c) 2008 South Wales Evening Post. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.