The European Respiratory Society (ERS) publishes this http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/50/5/1700610" official document about the lung disease due to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficit. As explained by Dr. Miravitlles, "this is a congenital and a rare disease. The patient's body has a deficit in the production of a protein, the alpha-1 antitrypsin. Patients have an increased risk of emphysema and, to a lesser extent, of chronic liver disease." The new guide, which has just been published, replaces the previous, which is from 2003. Dr. Miravitlles is a pneumologist of the https://www.vallhebron.com/ca/especialitats/pneumologia" Vall d'Hebron Pneumology Service and a researcher at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute's http://www.vhir.org/portal1/grup-equip2.asp?s=recerca&contentid=9089 Pneumology Research Group (VHIR).Among the novelties of the guide, it stands out that it is established which people have to make determinations to diagnose the disease. "All patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have to do the tests - says Dr. Miravitlles-. It also describes the most useful laboratory techniques. You must first make a detection in the blood, and, if detected low levels of alpha-1 antitrypsin, much more specific genetic tests are run. The guide also points out that the specific treatment for this disease, which is an intravenous blood product, should be equally accessible to all Europe."The treatment of this pathology requires centres of excellence with the necessary experience. "Vall d'Hebron is a centre of excellence in the treatment of this pathology," explains Dr. Miravitlles-. Here we treat patients from Catalonia and from the rest of Spain. We treat about 100 serious cases and 200 moderates every year. In addition, Vall d'Hebron is part of the European Network of Pulmonary Research."The Vall d'Hebron Centre of Excellence in pulmonary disease due to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficit has an outpatient consultation and day hospital where substitute treatment is done with intravenous blood product. "In addition, in the laboratory there are experts in diagnostic techniques at the molecular and genetic level, and we also collaborate with the Hepatology Service to do a screening of patients and detect hepatic affectations," adds Dr. Miravitlles.