New Clinical Practice Guidelines for Alpha-1

New clinical practice guidelines were published and released this week regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Alpha-1. These new guidelines are an update to the 2003 version.

Testing for Alpha-1

The individuals who were involved in the creation of these new guidelines were: The clinical director of the Alpha-1 Foundation, a researcher and former president of the American Thoracic Society, several leading Alpha-1 experts, a bioethicist and a medical librarian.

What is most noteworthy is that the new guidelines are recommending that "anyone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) should be tested for Alpha-1, regardless of age or ethnicity."

Guidelines to assist healthcare providers

You may be wondering what are "clinical practice guidelines"? Clinical practice guidelines make recommendations for best practice in diagnosis, treatment, and management of a disease or condition using the most current research and scientific evidence available. These guidelines assist healthcare providers in providing the best, up-to-date care for their patients.

For more information on these guidelines, see the Alpha-1 website.