Challenges in interpreting trends in testing for α₁-antitrypsin deficiency in COPD patients from UK primary care

Soriano et al. [1] recently published data on trends in testing and diagnosis of α1-antitrypsin deficiency in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients using primary care data from the UK. This was a large population-based study reporting that only ∼2.2% of patients diagnosed with COPD before the age of 60 years are tested for α1-antitrypsin deficiency and suggests that α1-antitrypsin deficiency may remain undiagnosed in many people with COPD. The study does highlight an important point that testing for this relatively rare but potentially important cause of COPD should be considered more widely among healthcare professionals.