Alpha-1-Antitrypsin is a protein normally produced in the liver whose primary function is to protect the lungs. When tissue in the lungs is damaged or infected, the body releases substances to help the lungs heal. An enzyme known as neutrophil elastase is produced to help get rid of the damaged cells or bacteria. However, if left unchecked this enzyme can attack healthy lung tissue as well. The protein known as Alpha-1 antitrypsin helps to control the enzyme so it does not damage healthy lung tissue.
Some people do not make enough or have any of the protein (Alpha-1 antitryptsin) needed to help protect the lungs. This is known as Alpha-1 antitryptsin deficiency (AATD). Because they do not have enough Alpha-1 antitryptsin, these people are more likely to get lung disease.
The COPD Connection
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of long-term, irreversible diseases that make it difficult to breathe because air does not flow easily out of the lungs. Some of the diseases generally associated with COPD are chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. Smoking is a leading cause of these conditions, but they can also be caused by genetic problems.
Alpha-1 deficiency is a genetic, or inherited, form of COPD that is often misdiagnosed as asthma or another form of COPD because the symptoms are so similar—shortness of breath, chronic cough, difficulty breathing, and wheezing.1 It is estimated that 12 million people in the United States have COPD2, and nearly 100,000 of them have Alpha-1 deficiency, which in most cases has not been diagnosed or treated.1
Left untreated, Alpha-1 deficiency will worsen over time and can cause permanent damage to the lungs. So it is important to find out if your chronic lung problems are caused by Alpha-1 and if so, to get proper treatment.
Could your COPD symptoms be caused by Alpha-1 deficiency? To find out, take the Alpha-1 Screener.