Respiratory disease

Leicester Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). Health and social care needs associated with respiratory disease.

Diseases of the respiratory system include disorders of the upper respiratory tract, lung, pleural cavity, bronchial tubes, trachea, and of the nerves and muscles of breathing. Respiratory diseases range from a mild common cold to life-threatening conditions such as bacterial pneumonia or pulmonary embolism. Risk factors are both non-modifiable (age, genetics, socio-economic deprivation) and modifiable (tobacco smoking, indoor air pollutants, occupational dusts, chemicals and fumes and viral or bacterial infections i.e. tuberculosis). 

One in seven people in the UK are affected by some form of chronic lung disease, most commonly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.

The following chapter further details the level of need in the population, current services in place, project service use, any service gaps and recommendations for commissioners.