Floyd Memorial Hospital & Health Services

           A simple finger-stick blood test can identify a genetic disorder linked to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Floyd Memorial and Talecris Biotherapeutics will be offering the screening free of charge to patients who meet screening guidelines.

            Alpha₁-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) affects an estimated 100,000 American but is diagnosed in fewer than five percent of the population. The deficiency is responsible for up to three percent of COPD cases in the U.S., and is the most prevalent, and potentially fatal hereditary disease in Caucasians. However, through an easy screening, the deficiency can be identified.

            The screening will be held on Wednesday, May 27 from Noon to 4 p.m. in the Paris Health Education Center at Floyd Memorial. The screening involves a simple needlestick, and fasting is not required.

            The American Thoracic Society (ATS) provides the following recommendations for patients who should be tested for the deficiency:

• All adults with symptomatic emphysema regardless of smoking history
• All adults with symptomatic COPD regardless of smoking history
• All adults with symptomatic asthma whose airflow obstruction is incompletely reversible after bronchodilator therapy
• Asymptomatic patients with persistent obstruction on pulmonary function tests with identifiable risk factors (eg, smoking, occupational exposure)
•  Siblings of individuals with AATD

Pre-registration is required for the screening. To register, call 1-800-4-SOURCE (1-800-476-8723). You will be asked a series of questions to qualify for the screening. If you have any questions about the screening guidelines, talk to your primary care physician about whether or not you qualify.