Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects 12.5 million Americans, according to the American Lung Association. It is a progressive lung condition that occurs mainly in people who have had long exposure to pollutants, cigarette smoke, and certain chemicals. 

However, a genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency can be at fault in some instances. 

What Is AAT Deficiency?

AAT is a protein your liver makes that helps protect your body from tissue damage caused by an enzyme in your immune system. This enzyme is very good at fighting infections, but it’s the AAT protein that keeps it from attacking healthy tissue. 

If your liver doesn’t produce enough AAT proteins, it can’t keep that enzyme in check, which leads to tissue damage throughout various organs, including the lungs. This, in turn, leads to the potential development of COPD. 

Who Is at Risk of Developing AAT Deficiency?

Although it’s a rare issue, AAT deficiency runs in families. Anyone who has this condition inherits two changed or mutated AAT genes, one from each parent. 

If you inherit only one mutated gene, you may be a carrier of the condition. You won’t have it yourself, but you can pass it down to your children. 

There aren’t symptoms of AAT deficiency until you develop COPD, and then, the symptoms can be mild and include wheezing and a chronic cough. As the disease progresses, the symptoms get more severe. 

Treating COPD

COPD is a complex condition, but there are treatment options that are making strides in how you can manage it. Some of these treatments include regenerative medicine, which involves the use of stem cells to harness your body’s natural healing powers. 

These treatment options hold promise in helping rebuild damaged tissue while reducing inflammation. With regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, getting relief from COPD symptoms is possible. 

This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide acces/autois to Regenerative Medicine for hair, also Stem cell therapy for COPD. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.