“Don’t ignore the warning signs – every cigarette is damaging the lungs”. World COPD Day 2025
This World COPD Day (19 November), Fresh is urging people not to dismiss warning signs like coughs and breathlessness – and understand how every cigarette is damaging the lungs.View News Post
The 2025 theme for the global campaign is: ‘Short of Breath? Think COPD’. It highlights how early symptoms of lung damage are often overlooked, delaying quitting smoking, diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
COPD is an umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and emphysema which makes it harder to breathe. Smoking is linked to around 9 in 10 cases of COPD [1] with toxic tobacco smoke from every cigarette damaging the lining and air sacs in the lungs. There is no cure – but stopping smoking prevents damage getting worse. Breathing in secondhand smoke can also worsen COPD.
Around 1.7 million people in the UK are living with COPD [2]. However, many people do not realise they have COPD, and another 600,000 people are estimated to be living with undiagnosed COPD [2]. Symptoms will often be worse during the winter. Latest figures show the rate of emergency admissions for COPD in England increased by 9% from 2023 to 2024.
In the North East and North Cumbria, over 89,000 people are diagnosed with COPD [3] resulting in around 10,300 emergency hospital admissions every year [3] – however the actual prevalence of COPD is likely to be much higher.
Stopping smoking stops COPD from getting worse. Getting local stop smoking service support and using quitting aids such as nicotine replacement or a vape can make your quit attempt more effective. For tips, advice and local support visit FreshQuit.co.uk.]
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “COPD is an awful illness and I lost my Dad, Stewart Rutter, to this in 2001 after a lifetime of smoking. I know too well the awful experience that we, like many families, went through and the huge loss this left on us.
“Having a cough or feeling short of breath can often be dismissed as a normal part of smoking. But we would urge people not to ignore the signs – it may be your body warning you that it is time to stop smoking sooner rather than later.
“Even many young people who smoke are already feeling the effects on their lungs, but it is during middle age when those symptoms can become more serious and leave people struggling to do daily activities like walking up the stairs. Although COPD can’t be reversed, people can stop the damage getting worse by stopping smoking and make a big difference to the way they feel and there is more support to quit than ever before.”
Linda, 65, from Sunderland developed COPD after years of smoking and now struggles with breathlessness and everyday tasks. She wishes she had stopped sooner and wants others to know it’s never too late to stop and protect their lungs.
“I was a smoker, and thought the coughing and breathlessness were just part of smoking, so I ignored the signs. But my body was telling me. Don’t ignore the signs and stop smoking.
“As a busy working mum, you always put yourself last, but being diagnosed with COPD made me realise how serious it is. I was fed up with feeling ill and got help from my local Stop Smoking Service. I’m so glad my son and daughter-in-law quit at the same time as me. COPD is a serious condition – please don’t wait until it’s too late. Get the support you need to stop.”
Dr Ruth Sharrock, Respiratory Consultant with Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Lead for the North East and North Cumbria Smokefree NHS/Treating Tobacco Dependency Taskforce, said: “As a frontline NHS doctor I see so the harm of smoking every day – but also the benefits of quitting. It is never too late to stop.
“No matter how long you’ve smoked your health starts to improve from the moment you quit. Within a few hours of quitting the carbon monoxide levels are falling in your body so you get more oxygen and within a few days your breathing improves. You’ll find you can walk that little bit further, manage a bit easier, and so within weeks you might notice that your cough improves, that you can do a bit more.”
Debbie Thomas, from Hartlepool, lost her husband Denham to COPD. She went from being his wife to his carer. She has shared the agony of seeing Denham struggling for breath, missing out on things like seeing his daughter graduate and meeting his new baby granddaughter, Soul.
Debbie said: “Smoking changed Denham’s life completely, and it changed all our lives. It is so terribly sad thinking of all the things he missed out on.
“I first met Denham when he’d just been diagnosed with COPD. At the time, he was still a physically active man and was able to go to work as normal. He’d just have to do things that little bit slower, as he would get out of breath really quickly. That was the first sign.
“Nothing can prepare you for how frightening it is to see someone close to you struggling to breathe. It was such an awful experience because whilst he was gasping for every breath and his lips were going blue, all I could do was watch because if I tried to help it would only make the situation worse. He would tell everyone he could stop smoking and tell them, “You don’t want to end up in a wheelchair and on oxygen like me.
“As a family, I think we always tried to prepare for him to go, not knowing how long he had, but when it happened, it did not make it any easier.”
Sadie, Denham’s daughter, has talked about her dad missing out on precious moments in life such as graduating as an engineer and becoming a mum. She said: “Before I was born, my dad was a keep fit instructor. But I don’t actually remember him being fit and well. I only ever remember him being on oxygen in a wheelchair 16 hours a day. He needed it to live. There was a trail of tubes up the stairs.
“He said he always felt bad because he wanted to do sports with me but he couldn’t. We couldn’t do much as a family. He would have loved to do so many things but couldn’t, even walking down the street with me. He missed so much. He never even got to meet my daughter and his granddaughter Soul. He would have loved her.
“There is help to quit smoking. I’d urge anyone – do it for you and do it for your family.”
Anyone feeling short of breath, has a persistent cough or producing phlegm regularly to speak to their GP or healthcare professional. A simple breathing test can help detect COPD early, enabling treatment and lifestyle changes that can make a real difference.
Jon Foster, Policy Manager at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “The link between smoking and COPD is impossible to ignore, and the impending Tobacco & Vapes Act is a groundbreaking step towards protecting the next generation from the curse of smoking-related diseases.
“However, we need to help current smokers too, which is why it’s crucial that there is investment in prevention to protect the lung health of more people like Linda and Denham. We believe initiatives like this should be funded by a levy on tobacco companies.”
ENDS
References
[3] Department for Health and Social Care COPD profiles (North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board) https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/COPD#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/221/are/E54000050/iid/253/age/1/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1