Daily digest October 5 2015

Lack of funding for rare lung disease 'costs lives'

An incurable lung disease is claiming lives because of a lack of funding and research, according to a charity.

BBC News reports the British Lung Foundation claims that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) kills about 5,000 people a year, and is on the rise, but there is low awareness of the condition.

In 2013 the government invested only £600,000 in research, said the charity.

There are estimated to be about 15,000 people living with IPF in the UK.

Read more on the BBC News website

Quarter of doctors' appointments wasted – report

More than one-in-four GP appointments are being wasted by problems that could be dealt with at home, or because of failing communication between doctors and hospitals, a report has suggested.

The Guardian reports a study by the independent groups NHS Alliance and the Primary Care Foundation, which found that 27% of GP appointments could be freed up by better use of technology to lighten administrative burdens, greater coordination with hospitals and if patients were signposted to other health professionals or self-care.

One-in-six patients could have been treated elsewhere, the study found, for example by pharmacists or nurses.

Read more on the Guardian website

Revealed... the five things YOU should know about breast cancer - according to an expert

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of the disease plaguing women across both the developing and developed world

It is estimated around 508,000 women die each year from the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

While for many women hearing the diagnosis will come as a devastating blow, more and more people are surviving the disease.

To mark breast cancer awareness month the Mail Online has asked Laura Esserman from the UC San Francisco to reveal five things every woman should know about the disease.

Read more on the Mail Online