TORONTO (Canadian Press) -- Many patients with debilitating lung disease aren't being diagnosed early enough by their family doctors, and more should be done to catch these cases and provide treatment, a new study suggests.

It's a finding that hits home for Michael Bond, a 52-year-old resident of Kirkland Lake, Ont., who was in and out of hospital and made frequent visits to the emergency department over the years with what was thought to be severe asthma.

In fact, he had COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is an umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

"I honestly wish that the doctors had known years ago more about it 'cause I really don't think I'd be in the shape I'm in now if I'd been diagnosed earlier," said Bond, who recently went through 5 1/2 weeks of therapy at West Park Healthcare Centre in Toronto.

"Basically I'm on painkillers for the rest of my life because of it. I've cracked ribs, I've busted ribs, I've done all kinds of horrible damage because of my coughing, which was because of the COPD."

His breathing -- huffing and puffing -- was so bad, he said, that he couldn't walk. "If I walked five steps or 10 steps, it was just killing me."

The research, published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, focused on patients age 40 and over who made doctor visits to sites in Toronto, Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Each patient in the study had a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years -- in other words, smoking the equivalent of a pack a day for two decades.

"Those are the people we considered to be at high risk of lung disease, so basically in the three sites involved we started screening people as they arrived," explained Dr. Roger Goldstein, a co-author of the study, and a respirologist at West Park.

Altogether, just over 1,000 people were enrolled.

"We found that a fairly high percentage -- and it was close to 21 per cent -- tested positive for lung disease in terms of their spirometry, which is the gold standard, and most of those people were not aware of their diagnosis, and a sizable chunk of them continued to smoke," Goldstein said.

For the spirometry test, an individual blows into a small apparatus for a measurement of the flow of air going into and coming out of the lungs.

The study found that almost 70 per cent of those confirmed to have COPD had not been diagnosed with the condition.

This is key because Goldstein said the single most important intervention is to get these people to quit smoking.

"If you have information that shows them there's a decline in lung function, you're more likely to encourage them to stop smoking," he said.

"As the disease progresses and people get more short of breath, it gets mislabelled in all sorts of ways, and it's good to have the right diagnosis so that you can tailor the management to the patient."

He said people with COPD should have regular flu vaccinations because influenza is much harder on people with underlying lung disease. In addition, there are medications that widen the airways to provide symptomatic relief as well as drugs that provide longer-term relief.

"Then down the road for people who have more severe disease, there are programs of rehabilitation to help reduce their sense of breathlessness and improve their quality of life."

By all accounts, such a program has done wonders for Bond, whose other option would have been a double lung transplant -- an idea that didn't go over well with him and his wife.

At West Park, he was taken off about 75 per cent of the medications he was on, he said, and he has learned breathing exercises, and other exercises to condition his muscles. Using a Rollator to assist with walking has given him confidence too.

"I do believe I have a decent life now. When I came in here I was so depressed, upset, I didn't feel there was much left for me. I honestly figured I was at the end of my rope. And I believe my wife felt the same way. She was terrified."

"I will never be better. I understand that ... I understand I do have to watch what I do. But just what they've taught me ... has improved my life unbelievably."

Bond, a former smoker, said information about these rehabilitation programs and exercises should be available at hospitals in smaller towns.

"I'm definitely going to spread the word when I get back to Kirkland Lake because I know a lot of people with terrible lungs that could really use the help."

Goldstein is also in favour of getting the word out.

"Family doctors know about COPD, and are extremely active. But I think the encouragement would be to order the spirometry test."

Copyright The Canadian Press, 2010