Diagnosing the underlying cause of common symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and breathlessness is the first step to starting treatment.

Many people put off seeing their doctor because they worry that such symptoms might mean something is seriously wrong.

Get checked out early

Dr Roberts recommends that anyone who is worried about problems that affect the chest or lungs should get their symptoms checked out. In the vast majority of cases the cause is something that can be treated effectively and managed well.

Symptoms that affect your breathing have a serious impact on the quality of your life, preventing you doing the things that you enjoy. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help you live your life to the full.

What if its serious?

If it turns out that you have a more serious health problem, it is still better to find out sooner rather than later. Progressive lung diseases such as COPD may not be curable, but their progress can be slowed down by treatment.

Treatments for lung cancer are also developing all the time and survival rates are increasing. Your best chance of a long survival go hand in hand with discovering the disease as early as possible.

If you are worried and want to see a respiratory specialist straight away, Dr Roberts can arrange a private consultation and tests for both self-pay and insured patients.