Grifols has launched the “Look into Genetic COPD” educational campaign to raise awareness of COPD caused by alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (alpha-1), a rare genetic condition.
The global healthcare company, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, is offering free blood tests for alpha-1, the commonly accepted way of diagnosing the condition.
Alpha-1 deficiency is estimated to affect 100,000 people in the U.S. but remains highly undiagnosed, with more than 90 percent of carriers not knowing they have it. The condition can remain unidentified for several years, often being misdiagnosed as asthma or as smoking-related COPD, overshadowed by the patient’s smoking history.
