Incurable lung conditions could be going undiagnosed for thousands of people suffering long-term coughs and chest infections, say experts. 

One in five people wait more than a year to be diagnosed with chronic lung conditions, according to new research from Asthma + Lung UK. 

More than half of those who sought medical help for coughs and chest infections were treated for their immediate symptoms but did not have the underlying cause investigated at the time. 

However, coughs and infections that continually return can be early warning signs of lung diseases like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Currently 1.7 million people in the UK are living with COPD — which causes breathing difficulties and puts sufferers at increased risk of severe infections  — but experts believe 600,000 are undiagnosed.

The data also shows that two in five people who are diagnosed with COPD do not start treatment within the recommended timeframe of 18 weeks — with more than 6,000 waiting over a year. 

And a shocking one in eight did not receive a diagnosis for more than ten years.  

Untreated, COPD gets progressively worse — and increases the risk of other long-term medical conditions.  

Breathlessness can cause people to stop being as active — making them more prone to other medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

In the case of asthma, which affects more than 7.2 million people, accurate and early diagnosis means symptoms can be managed and asthma attacks can be prevented with the correct treatment.

But despite lung conditions being the UK's third biggest killer, there are currently no national targets to limit the amount of time someone should wait for diagnosis when presenting with symptoms.

Diana Muirhead, 60, is desperate to begin treatment, having been on the waiting list for a spirometry test to confirm that she has COPD for months.

The mum-of-four from Norfolk said she feels as though her life 'is literally on hold until then'.   

'I can't work at the moment because I feel so breathless and fatigued all the time but despite an X-ray showing that I probably do have COPD back in January, I can't get treatment as it needs to be confirmed with a spirometry test,' she explained. 

'In the meantime, I struggle to carry out daily activities like cleaning and shopping and feel constantly exhausted because I can't breathe properly.

'I am worried because the earlier COPD is treated, the better because treatment slows down its progression.

'I feel like I'm in limbo not knowing when I will get my diagnosis and it's awful.

'The nurse referred me for an X-ray and put me on the waiting list for a spirometry test but told me I'd be waiting a 'long time' for it as the list was so long. I have no idea how long I will be waiting now.

'The Government really needs to set a time limit for diagnosis of lung conditions, like there is for cancer diagnosis, and make sure spirometry testing is available in GP practices so people can get tested straight away. Lung conditions are very serious and should be treated as such.'

Charity Asthma + Lung UK are calling on the government to provide long term funding for GP practices to deliver testing for lung conditions, including spirometry and FeNO (fractional exhaled nitric oxide). 

Only half of GPs currently use FeNO testing, which can be vital for diagnosing asthma.

Asthma + Lung UK also wants national diagnosis targets for lung conditions to ensure nobody waits more than six weeks for a diagnostic test, and for waiting lists to be halved by 2028.

CEO Sarah Sleet said: 'People who are struggling to breathe face agonising waits for an accurate diagnosis. 

'They're being misdiagnosed, or diagnosed too late, or are not put on the right treatment. 

'As a result, the pressures on the NHS grow and grow with more emergency admissions and hospital stays. We need lung conditions to be treated as seriously as cancer and heart disease.

'A sticking plaster approach of treating symptoms, not the underlying cause, means too many people with lung conditions go undiagnosed for far too long.'