Baseline testing or a baseline examination is the recommended tests and exams that should be performed once a patient is diagnosed with Alpha-1. Having these tests run will not only give an idea of present health but is also crucial to compare to future tests to see decline. Part of augmentation therapy approval is often seeing that there is a decline in lung function and therefore a need for treatment.
Evaluation of AAT Deficient Patients:
After confirming the AATalpha-1 antitrypsin Deficiency status of your patient, you may want to consider the following baseline assessments:
Baseline Examination
Health Care Providers Brochure – Alpha-1 Foundation
- Physical Exam
- Posteroanterior (PA) and Lateral Chest X-Ray or a high resolution CT of the lungs
- Pulmonary function testPulmonary Function Test - A test that is designed to measure how well the lungs are working. You go into a glass box and blow into a tube hooked up to a computer., including:
- Spirometry (before and after inhaled bronchodilator)
- Lung volumes
- Diffusion capacity
- Oximetry or arterial blood gases
- Liver function test, including:
- AST
- ALT
- Total and Direct bilirubin
- Albumin
- INR
- Liver ultrasound examination
It’s a good idea to also include the GGT in your liver panel as there is some evidence that this test can be more sensitive to liver issues in Alphas. (NCBI National Library of Medicine)