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Most COPD patients referred to pulmonary lab agree to take test for Alpha-1, see test as important and positive
COPD patients referred to a pulmonary education and rehabilitation lab were generally open to testing for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and most viewed the test as a positive experience, according to a study at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL.
The study over a period of one year offered Alpha-1 testing to COPD patients referred to the clinic’s Pulmonary Education and Rehabilitation Department. The patients were referred for spirometry, pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking cessation or pulmonary education.
In the study, 82 percent (31 of 38) of the eligible patients agreed to take the test. Explaining the test and performing it took an average of just under 8 minutes total.
Two Alpha-1 carriers were found in the study, reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a publication of the American Thoracic Society.
