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Alpha-1 Awareness Month: Awareness is Key for Underdiagnosed Genetic Disorder

Posted on: Monday, 9 May 2005, 12:00 CDT

Do you know someone with a chronic breathing problem that isn't responding to treatment? They could have Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency, or Alpha-1, an underdiagnosed genetic disorder that can affect the lungs and liver. Symptoms of the lung disorder include shortness of breath, chronic cough, and reduced lung function. Alpha-1 can also cause liver impairment and failure in both children and adults; in fact, Alpha-1 is the leading cause of childhood liver transplants.

While only 3,000 to 4,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Alpha-1 to date, researchers estimate that up to 100,000 adults and children in the U.S. have severe Alpha-1, and 2.5 million people nationwide may be carriers. That means that up to 95% of people with Alpha1-Antitrypsin deficiency may remain undiagnosed.

May is Alpha-1 Awareness Month in many states across the country. ZLB Behring, a global leader in the plasma therapeutics industry, encourages all individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema or asthma; individuals with a family history of Alpha-1; and individuals with unexplained or chronic liver disease to contact their doctors to discuss getting tested for Alpha-1. The deficiency can be detected by a relatively simple blood test, with the diagnosis confirmed by a physician.

As part of its continuing long-term commitment to the Alpha-1 community, ZLB Behring is pleased to roll out a comprehensive Detection Program during Alpha-1 Awareness Month. The Detection Program, themed "Making a Clear Diagnosis. One Test, Once a Lifetime," is intended to educate physicians on the need for testing for Alpha-1, including how to test and how to treat people who test positive for the deficiency.

The Detection Program is a new component of the educational support ZLB Behring provides to the Alpha-1 community. For more information on this program and ZLB Behring's other patient and physician support programs, contact 1-866-ZEMAIRA (1-866-936-2472) or visit www.zemaira.com.

About ZLB Behring

ZLB Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients throughout the world, ZLB Behring provides safe and effective plasma-derived and recombinant products and offers patients a wide range of related services. The company's broad portfolio of life-saving therapeutics are used in the treatment of individuals with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, immune deficiency disorders and inherited emphysema; the prevention of hemolytic diseases for the newborn; cardiac surgery patients; and shock and burn victims. Additionally, ZLB Behring operates one of the world's largest, fully-owned plasma collection networks. ZLB Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company, which operates worldwide from its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, please visit www.ZLBBehring.com.

Source: Business Wire

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