COPD: Experts call for urgent awareness, early diagnosis, policy support

Medical experts have sounded the alarm over the rising burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Nigeria and across Africa, urging immediate policy reforms, increased public awareness, and expanded access to diagnosis and treatment.

These concerns were raised during a pre-conference training workshop held in Lagos ahead of the Nigerian Thoracic Society (NTS) Annual Congress.

The workshop is part of Race Africa, a multinational initiative promoting COPD awareness and training healthcare workers in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Cameroon.

Speaking at the event, Professor Obianuju Ozo, a pulmonologist at the University of Lagos College of Medicine and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), described COPD as a chronic lung condition marked by persistent breathlessness, coughing, and sputum production.

She noted that despite being common, preventable, and treatable, the disease remains significantly underdiagnosed in Nigeria.

“COPD is common, preventable, and treatable—but many people don’t know they have it,” she said. She added that the 2025 World COPD Day theme, ‘Short of Breath? Think COPD aims to draw attention to breathlessness, often confused with heart-related issues or other ailments.

Prof. Ozo explained that risk factors begin as early as the prenatal stage and are worsened by exposure to indoor smoke, traffic fumes, air pollution, and tobacco use. She called for strong national policies to prioritise COPD, including improved access to spirometry equipment for early diagnosis and more affordable inhalers.

“Lung function tests are available only in a few tertiary hospitals. Without a diagnosis, we cannot treat it. Policymakers must make inhalers available and affordable if we want to save lives,” she stressed.

As a member of the Board of Directors and Science Committee of the Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), she reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for patients, many of whom are too ill to speak for themselves.

Also speaking, Professor Djibril Mohamed, a respiratory physiotherapy specialist at Bayero University Kano, highlighted efforts to develop low-cost, locally adaptable pulmonary rehabilitation methods for indigent patients.

He noted that community health extension workers are being trained to deliver COPD care at the primary healthcare level.

Participants described the workshop as eye-opening. Physical therapist Zainab Olanyi said the training enriched their understanding of COPD management, particularly in improving lung function and the quality of life of patients.

With Nigeria grappling with worsening air pollution, indoor smoke exposure, and strained healthcare resources, experts insist that COPD must be recognised as a national public health priority.

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They hope community-level awareness and stronger policy attention will reduce preventable suffering and deaths linked to the disease.