News
RT magazine article features Alpha-1, Alpha-1 Foundation
“RT for Decision Makers in Respiratory Care” magazine has an article this month about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and the Alpha-1 Foundation. The story is a part of the magazine’s recognition of November as both Alpha-1 Awareness Month and COPD Awareness Month.
By Greg Thompson
Thanks to the Alpha-1 Foundation, many COPD patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency have been properly diagnosed and treated, but the work is far from over.
Prior to 1995, the genetic disorder known as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (alpha-1 for short) was the underdog in a race for research dollars. Lumped under the COPD umbrella, the disease failed to gain the support of investigators necessary in the quest for better therapies—or even cures. Alpha-1 is characterized by a deficiency in the production of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin, which protects lungs from enzymes of inflammatory cells, especially elastase. In its absence, elastase is free to break down elastin, which contributes to the elasticity of the lungs, resulting in respiratory complications such as emphysema or COPD.
