Nezarali Moulaei - Internal Medicine Department, Research Centre for Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Hossein Ali Khazaei - Immunology and Hematology Department, Clinical Immunology Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Vida Pejman - Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.

Background and Aims: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a kind of pulmonary diseases characterized by chronic obstruction of lung that is in the form of a diffuse narrowing of airways resulting in air flow resistance. Alpha-۱ antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is genetically relatively common risk factor in patients with COPD throughout the world and the exact cause of its prevalence is unknown. We therefore performed a study to determine the frequency of AAT deficiency in patients with severe COPD compared to the healthy controls. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional case control study, AAT serum level in ۶۰ patients with severe COPD for whom the history and spirometry test with FEV۱<۵۰% had been confirmed based on gold criteria as well as ۶۰ healthy controls, were tested using commercial kit and nephelometry method. Results: The lowest serum levels of AAT measured in patients was <۰.۳۴۹ g/l and the highest was ۳.۰۹۹ g/l. These were obtained in healthy subjects as ۱.۱۸۰ g/l and ۴.۱۹۵ g/l respectively. Out of ۶۰ patients, ۴ (۶.۷%) had partial deficiency of AAT (AAT<۱ g/l) and ۶ (۱۰%) had definite shortage of AAT (AAT<۰.۵ g/l). In healthy subjects, we did not find any definite and relative lack of AAT. The comparison of results obtained from these two groups indicated a significant difference between frequency of AAT (P=۰.۰۰۱). Conclusions: Our findings revealed the frequency of AAT deficiency, as a factor involved in COPD disease, to be ۱۰% and can be the reason for the high prevalence and severity of COPD in Zahedan city.

Alph-۱-antitrypsin, COPD, Zahedan