Today’s Irish Daily Mail (February 21st 2011) has an article on Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1) written by their health editor Petrina Vousden (page 12).

In the article Alpha-1 patient Orla Keane explains how she was first diagnosed and how she is living with the condition. Professor Gerry McElvaney chairman of the Alpha One Foundation also contributed to the article. He explained the importance of testing patients with lung and liver disease for Alpha-1 as “Ninety five per cent of people with Alpha-1 are totally unaware of it”. The national targeted detection programme for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is a screening programme funded by the Department of Health, and has tested over 5000 Irish individuals, a quarter of which have some evidence of the condition. The key is early diagnosis of the condition, which can help prevent or postpone the development of lung disease and leads to more effective management.