Actress Leah Thys diagnosed with incurable lung disease COPD

Belgian actress Leah Thys, widely recognized for her role as Marianne in the popular television series 'Thuis,' has revealed she is suffering from COPD, an incurable lung disease. In an interview with the newspaper De Zondag, Thys shared the challenges she faces, stating that she becomes breathless after only a few steps and expects her condition to deteriorate over time.

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I can still sit at the table and talk, but as soon as I have to take a few steps, I'm out of breath.

"The reality is that it will only get worse," Thys stated. She explained that she experiences exacerbations every few weeks, leading to dangerously low oxygen levels that require hospitalization. Managing her energy economically and using inhalers to keep her airways open are crucial for her daily life. "It's no joke," she added.

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The reality is that it will only get worse.

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is far from a rare condition. Professor Dr. Ingel Demedts, head of pulmonology at AZ Delta, estimates that up to 800,000 Belgians, approximately 8% of the population, suffer from it, though many cases may go undiagnosed. The disease typically manifests around age 40-45 and is commonly referred to as "smoker's lung" due to its strong association with smoking.

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You get an exacerbation every x number of weeks. Then you have too little oxygen in your body and you have to go to the hospital. So you have to manage your energy very economically. Use enough aerosol to keep the airways open. It's no joke, you know.

While smoking is the primary cause in Belgium, Demedts noted that other inhaled substances can also lead to COPD. Exposure to dust, fumes in the workplace, or even indoor cooking fires in developing regions can contribute. Air pollution is also a potential factor, though its impact is harder to quantify. Symptoms often include a persistent cough, mucus production, and gradually increasing shortness of breath, which individuals might initially mistake for normal aging or weight gain.

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That lung disease occurs very frequently. Up to 800,000 people in our country suffer from it (a small 8 percent of the Belgian population, ed.). That is a broad estimate, but it is often still not detected.