News
National Jewish Publicizes A-1 Foundation-AARC Study
DENVER—National Jewish Medical and Research Center issued a press release today on a joint study sponsored by the Alpha-1 Foundation and American Association for Respiratory Care.
The study, led by Robert A. Sandhaus, MD, PhD, seeks to identify patients who have Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, an inherited form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The study was announced Dec. 5 in this Alpha-1 Foundation press release.
“If this study confirms what much smaller studies have suggested about Alpha-1 patients hidden in the COPD population, there could be as many as 400,000 individuals in the US who have lung disease due to Alpha-1, don’t know it, and aren’t getting optimal therapy,” said Dr. Sandhaus, who is also Clinical Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation. “We are trying a new model, using respiratory therapists to identify Alpha-1 patients, which we hope will greatly increase diagnosis of alpha-1.”
More than 12 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with COPD, an umbrella term that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Alpha-1, sometimes called “genetic COPD,” is the most common known genetic risk factor for emphysema.
