Does anyone have or know someone with Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency?
Question:
I am interested in only seriouse replys please.
Answers:
Well, lets see if i can help you out.. Im a respiratory therapist.. and lucky you, i just happen to be at work :)
A1AD is a disease that is what is commonly grouped with COPD or Emphasema.. But where most of your COPD and Emphasema patients have a long history of smoking, Alpha 1 patients may have never picked up a cigarette ever..
(Im going to try my best to put this in laymens terms for ya).. Think of your lungs as a tree.. you have the trunk of the tree (the trachea), then the main branches of the tree (your left and right main stem bronchus), somewhat smaller branches steming from those (bronchi), even smaller branches (brochioles) until you finally get to the airsacks (aveoli) at the very end of these branches (think of these as the leaves of the trees).. These aveoli is where oxygen exchange takes place.. When you take a breath in, the oxygen in the air gets to those aveoli, and is exchanged with the Carbon Dioxide in our blood (waste product of breathing).. Now, what happens - when you suffer from A1AD, which is hereditary, the serum level of alpha-1 - antitrypsin in the blood is low, which causes changes in the structure of those aveoli, which in a respiratory sense, causes a malfunction in exchanging oxygen into the blood stream.. Theres a thickening of the walls of the lungs, and when you breathe in, a good portion of the air yout ake into your lungs just kinda sits there and isnt exchanged at all. It makes a dead space in your lungs.(It also can cause sirrosis of the liver, btw).. Now, heres the good news.. If you get tested, and lets say it comes out positive for Alpha 1, it can be treated (but not cured) before ANY symptoms show up.. Its also important your children get tested because even if they do not have the disease, they could carry it and give it to their children later..
I hope this kinda helps.. :)
Other Answers:
Was your father also a smoker? That increases the risk for emphysema. Teach your kids that since there is a genetic predisposition to emphysema that they need to be extra careful to not only not smoke, but to also stay away from smokers and jobs where there is a lot of smoke (like wait staffing a restaraunt).
Good luck!
dont know much about it bit I'll look into it whats your e-mail adress maybe we can get to know each other?
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