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The goal of the Alpha-1 Foundation’s national targeted testing campaign is to promote awareness and the identification of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) deficient individuals in population groups at high risk for AAT deficiency, such as adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), chronic asthma, and/or chronic liver disease.
If you suspect you or a loved one may be suffering from COPD, please visit your physician to get tested. If you have been diagnosed with COPD and need to get tested for Alpha-1, visit your physician. To obtain more information, call 1-800-4-ALPHA1 or visit The Alpha-1 Foundation's Web site.
What is involved in testing for Alpha-1?
You can ask your doctor to test you for Alpha-1 or you may choose to be tested on a confidential basis through the Foundation’s Alpha-1 Coded Testing (ACT) study.
Doctor Prescribed Test
Alpha-1 can’t be diagnosed by symptoms or by a medical examination; you need to get a blood test to know for sure. Your doctor can write a prescription for the test. Testing for Alpha-1 is simple, quick, and highly accurate. Testing can be conducted on a blood sample (blood draw or finger stick test). Consult with your health insurance provider to determine if your plan covers the cost of this test.
Click here to access questions to ask your health care professional when initiating a conversation about getting tested for Alpha-1.
Alpha-1 deficiency testing can also be conducted on a sample collected with a mouth swab, using a clinical test currently only offered by Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (LabCorp®). Physicians and health care providers may call LabCorp at 1.800.345.GENE (4363) for more information about the mouth swab test. The contact information for LabCorp in Puerto Rico is telephone 787.791.0740. Julia Mercedes Gonzales is the Sales Representative, and her cell phone number is 939.644.7436.
Pulmonary Physicians of South Florida screens and tests for Alpha -1. They have 13 Offices in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Please call Jorge Zamudio, MD at the Alpha-1 Foundation 888.825.7421 ext. 246 for more information.
Who should consider being tested?
The World Health Organization (WHO), American Thoracic Society, and the European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) recommend all individuals with COPD be tested for Alpha-1 — an estimated 12 million Americans. Individuals should get tested who have a family history of Alpha-1, lung or liver disease, any symptoms of Alpha-1, and medical conditions, including:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Emphysema
Bronchiectasis
Chronic bronchitis
Asthma that is incompletely reversible after aggressive treatment
Chronic liver disease in adults
The skin disease panniculitis
Unexplained liver disease in infants and children
How testing works
If you’ve been diagnosed with COPD and need to get tested for Alpha-1, visit your family physician and get tested. If you do not have a family physician and would like to find an Alpha-1 expert in your area, please click here. |
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