SMOKERS are being urged to give up the habit through a campaign focusing on the debilitating nature of serious lung disease.
The Somerset County Council and Public Health England initiative reveals that more than 11,000 people in Somerset suffered from serious lung disease during 2014-15.
And nearly 820 deaths in Somerset between 2012 and 2014 were attributable to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, most often caused by smoking.
People with COPD have difficulty breathing due to the narrowing of airways and destruction of lung tissue.
Smokers often dismiss COPD as a ‘smoker’s cough’, but if they continue smoking and the condition worsens, it can greatly impact on their quality of life.
The disease led to 10,260 routine and emergency hospital admissions in the South-West. Call Smokefreelife on 0800 246 1063 or 01823 765006.
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