In the realm of public health, lung health has not historically received the same priority as other diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes or cancer), but the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the importance of lung health to the forefront. For example, Google searches for lung conditions surged at the onset of the pandemic, indicating increased alertness of individuals towards respiratory symptoms. Mask wearing has also lifted the invisibility of respiratory symptoms, for example breathlessness, with more people now aware of the experience of breathlessness and what being afflicted by respiratory disease entails. Never before has the public been more concerned of the importance of lung health.

Lung diseases are prevalent conditions, for example, worldwide asthma and COPD collectively affect 500 million individuals, and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. In addition, exposures such as infections (including COVID-19), air pollution (e.g. from vehicle emissions, haze, and industry), cigarette smoking and allergens may have resulted in large swathes of the population having impaired lung function and preclinical/subclinical lung disease which is unrecognized, and which puts them at-risk for adverse outcomes in the years to come.

This symposium will provide a comprehensive, pragmatic overview on population health perspectives in maximizing lung health, including prevention, screening, early diagnosis and best-practice clinical care.

TOPIC 1:

Advancing Lung Health through Applying A Population Perspective to Clinical Practice: An Overview

Speaker: Clin Asst Prof Anthony Yii Chau Ang

TOPIC 2:

Lung Cancer Screening in Asian Populations: Ready for Prime Time?

Speaker: Clin Asst Prof Loh Chee Hong Sean

TOPIC 3:

Moving Beyond the Walls of the Hospital: Lung Health Promotion and Respiratory Care Delivery in the Community

Speaker: Asst Prof Koh Meng Kwang Jansen

TOPIC 4:

Asthma Population Health insights from Singhealth-Duke-NUS-GSK COPD and Asthma Real World Evidence (SDG-CARE) Asthma Registry

 Speaker: Assoc Prof Mariko Siyue Koh