What IS Alpha-1?
Alpha-1 is genetic -- passed on from parents to their children.
Alpha-1 can lead to lung or liver disease in people who don't smoke or drink.
At least 90 percent of Alphas don't know they've inherited this condition.
Alpha-1 is... what, again?
It's Genetic COPD (So how's your breathing today?)
Alpha-1 is short for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.
You should learn more if...
You get short of breath easily.
You have asthma.
You get a lot of colds, and they always seem to last longer than other people's
You have breathing problems (COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, whatever your doctor calls it).
You have liver disease and you were never a heavy drinker.
Somebody you love has these symptoms.
In that case, you need more information. It can make a huge difference in your health. It might even save your life.
You should learn more if...
You get short of breath easily.
You have asthma.
You get a lot of colds, and they always seem to last longer than other people's
You have breathing problems (COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, whatever your doctor calls it).
You have liver disease and you were never a heavy drinker.
Somebody you love has these symptoms.
In that case, you need more information. It can make a huge difference in your health. It might even save your life.
So what's an Alpha look like?
Maybe like this?
Some doctors believe they can tell if a patient is an Alpha, just from symptoms and health history.Check with your doctor. Ask if an Alpha looks like this:
Or maybe this is more like one
But it takes an expert medical opinion, right?`
So you might check with your doctor to see if an Alpha looks like this:But suppose your doctor says you don't look like an Alpha. Or suppose the doc says you couldn't be an Alpha, because we Alphas are just so rare.
All right, then, here's the answer:
THIS is what an Alpha looks like
Gee, doesn't that face look familiar?
An Alpha looks exactly like this:I know. This is me.
I'm an Alpha.
But even I wouldn't know except for one thing. I got tested. It's a simple, highly reliable blood test. It's the only way to know for sure.
There's only one way to know if you're an Alpha
You have to be tested to know for sure
Don't let anyone tell you differently.
Where to find out more
For Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency news and information, check these out
- AlphaMale blog
- My blog about Alpha-1
- Alpha-1 Foundation
- The Alpha-1 Foundation website carries detailed information about Alpha-1 for regular people and health care professionals, too. The Foundation funds research, offers free brochures and sponsors scientific conferences.
- News about Alpha-1
- The News page of the Alpha-1 Foundation. Probably the most up-to-date place to find news stories, press releases and announcements about Alpha-1.
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