Lung health needs a rebrand: Institute researcher calls for change

Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan from the Institute has co-authored a major editorial in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine calling for a global reset in how respiratory diseases are funded researched and understood.

The article was written by an international group of respiratory researchers following discussions at the 2024 European Respiratory Society conference. Together they highlight how chronic lung conditions remain significantly underfunded despite being among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.

“Respiratory illnesses disproportionately affect people from lower-income backgrounds who generally aren’t as visible to advocacy and funding circles,” said Dr Ramakrishnan.

“There’s still a stigma around smoking even though many lung conditions have nothing to do with tobacco use. That stigma has shaped policy and funding decisions in ways that ignore the real scale and urgency of the problem.”

According to the World Health Organization respiratory diseases rank 50th globally in terms of total health research funding despite conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) asthma lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) affecting millions of people each year.

The editorial argues that other chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes have benefited from messaging that generate empathy and urgency for change. Lung health by contrast has often been seen as avoidable or self-inflicted.

“It’s time to reframe how we talk about the lungs. We need to strip away stigma and put respiratory health at the centre of our public health agenda,” said Dr Ramakrishnan.

The paper outlines three key solutions: improving physician communication, implementing national lung health strategies and strengthening patient-led advocacy. These steps the authors argue will help shift both perception and funding toward more equitable support for respiratory conditions.

Dr Ramakrishnan is optimistic that change is possible but insists it must start with how society talks about lung disease.

“We need to emphasise that lung disease is not a moral failing. These are medical conditions that can affect anyone,” he said.

“We also need to share hope. When we talk about lung health we must make it clear that research leads to breakthroughs and those breakthroughs lead to longer healthier lives.”

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