ABSTRACT
An association between severe alpha 1-antitrypsin (alAT) deficiency and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was recognized in the early 1960s by Laurell and Eriksson (1). A few years later, reports described associations of the alAT deficiency state with cirrhosis (2), neonatal liver disease (2,3), and child hood renal disease (4).
