Deficiency of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin

The risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increased, among other things, by a deficiency of alpha-1-antitrypsin (AATD). However, there is often a delay between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis of AATD, which is associated with worse clinical and functional status and a more advanced stage of the disease. The study presented below examined how this fact further affects patient survival.