RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Utility of routine screening for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in patients with bronchiectasis
JF Thorax
JO Thorax
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
SP 592
OP 593
DO 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2019-214195
VO 75
IS 7
A1 Carreto, Luis
A1 Morrison, Meghan
A1 Donovan, Jackie
A1 Finch, Simon
A1 Tan, Gan Liang
A1 Fardon, Tom
A1 Wilson, Robert
A1 Furrie, Elisabeth
A1 Loebinger, Michael
A1 Chalmers, James D
YR 2020
UL http://thorax.bmj.com/content/75/7/592.abstract
AB Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a cause of bronchiectasis. Guidelines for bronchiectasis from the British Thoracic Society do not recommend to routinely test patients for AATD. In contrast, guidelines for AATD recommend routine screening. This contradiction, in part, results from the lack of data from large studies performing comprehensive screening. We screened 1600 patients with bronchiectasis at two centres in the UK from 2012 to 2016. In total, only eight individuals with AATD were identified representing 0.5% of the overall population. We conclude that routine screening for AATD in bronchiectasis in the UK has a low rate of detection. Further studies are required in different geographical regions, which may have a higher prevalence of AATD.