Tasmanian research leading the way on World COPD Day

Clifford Craig-supported researchers Dr Sukhwinder Sohal and Associate Professor Andrew Williams, with COPD patient and study participant Ella Miller. Photos courtesy of Craig George, The Examiner Newspaper.

November 2021

Are you a smoker, or do you live with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?

A significant Tasmanian health project funded by the Clifford Craig Foundation and aimed at changing the trajectory of this debilitating disease needs more volunteers to assist with medical research.

November 17 is World COPD Day, aimed at highlighting the burden of the fourth leading cause of death and one of the world’s most significant public health concerns.

Even in the face of COVID-19, COPD remains a leading cause of death worldwide and there has never been a more important time to focus on lung health.

While smoking is recognised as the most significant risk factor for developing COPD, existing diagnostic tools are not sensitive enough to measure early changes in a person’s airway before the disease process becomes irreversible.

With funding from the Clifford Craig Foundation, Associate Professor Andrew Williams is leading the first in a series of proposed research studies to investigate new methods of measuring lung damage at an earlier stage of the COPD process – while it is still potentially reversible.

Currently, research is mid-way through the recruitment and assessment stage.

With the project designed around three subject groups with different levels of COPD – present, early and none – researchers need to recruit another 12 to 15 current smokers and another 10 with existing COPD for it to progress.  

“We have reached the halfway point, but we are having difficulty recruiting smokers and people living with COPD,” Associate Professor Williams said.

“The detection of early respiratory changes, while they are still reversible, will allow for effective interventions to minimize disease progression which will have very high public health importance and potentially reduce health care costs associated with smoking.”

COPD is characterised by persistent respiratory symptoms and irreversible airflow limitations due to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities usually associated with exposure to noxious particles and gases.

The most important risk factor for COPD in the developed world is cigarette smoking, with studies demonstrating the deterioration of pulmonary function associated with COPD is directly related to the duration and number of pack-years of smoking.

Dysfunction of the airways, lung and fine blood vessels is common in smokers, yet early abnormalities are not detected with spirometry (a common office test used to assess how well your lungs work by measuring how much air you inhale).

As part of World COPD Day and to help raise awareness, study participant Ella Miller shared her experience of living with the disease - and the impact smoking has had on her life.

At the age of 75 she said participating in a medical research trial was intimidating at first, but she recognised its importance.

“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.

It is hoped this study will assist health professionals to understand more about smoking induced airway disease and add substantial knowledge to the understanding of the early respiratory changes that occur due to smoking.

Co-chief investigator Dr Sukhwinder Sohal said Tasmanians were at a 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.

“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.”

If you are interested in participating in this study, email Andrew.Williams@utas.edu.au or contact the UTAS’ School of Health Sciences on 6324 5400.