The Pathophysiology of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the number one disease process treated in the Pulmonary Department at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center (VAACC). The medical staff includes doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists. The team works together to ensure the veteran gets the best care available. Smoking is very popular in the military, and this puts veterans at a higher risk for COPD, compared to the general public. COPD can develop at a much younger age if the patient has alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). Janciauskiene, Ferrotti, Laenger, Jonigk, and Luisetti (2011) point out that patients who develop COPD with certain genotypes of AATD start showing severe signs of emphysema between the ages of thirty and fifty. Cigarette smoking greatly increases this risk (Janciauskiene, Ferrotti, Laenger, Jonigk, & Luisetti, 2011)