COPD

The destructive forces that lead to the development of COPD usually take many years before they become debilitating. There are conditions that will increase the rate of deterioration. Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency is one such condition. Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic disorder affecting some 3% of the population.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin is an protein in the lung which stops the action of trypsinase another enzyme which regulates the actions of macrophages which help to heal the lungs after an injury, such as smoking a cigarette. Without enough antitrypsin in a person macrophages would be allowed to do far more good than necessary essentially destroying tissue that didn't need to be destroyed. The end result of this is that a lot of times instead of developing COPD in the 60's or 70's COPD is developed in the 30's and 40's.

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Last Updated 6/28/2006 11:22:04 PM