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Article: Dr. Donohue: Enzyme Deficiency Gives Rise To Emphysema
- Article from:
- Oakland Tribune
- Article date:
- September 21, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Q: You answered a question about emphysema. I think you should
have mentioned alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. I have it and was
diagnosed at age 53, after having been misdiagnosed for eight years.
I have been on Prolastin, which has stabilized my lung capacity.
While more doctors are aware of this condition, some are not.
A: Lungs come equipped with their own janitorial crew. They
inhale lots of foreign debris, and they create trash in their work
of transferring oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of it.
The cleanup crew is trypsin, an enzyme. Trypsin, however, can go
overboard, so another enzyme, alpha-1 antitrypsin, stops it from
overdoing the trash collection and destroying air ...