Disease associations in alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency

In addition to emphysema alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) has been shown to be associated with several inflammatory conditions, including bronchiectasis, vasculitis, (in particular Wegener's granulomatosis), and panniculitis, suggesting neutrophil proteinases also play a role in their pathophysiology. However, it remains unknown whether other inflammatory diseases are also more prevalent in AATD than the general population. The current study describes the prevalence of other co-morbidities in AATD with particular emphasis on inflammatory bowel disease.

The case notes of 651 PiZZ or PiZnull patients attending the UK national centre for AATD between 1996 and 2011 were reviewed. The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (1.5%) was higher than that predicted in the UK (0.4%). Ten patients had a confirmed diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, and 1 had Crohn's disease. In 2 cases there was a family history of inflammatory bowel disease and all but 1 patient were ex or never smokers. There was also a higher prevalence of hypothyroidism in this patient group than expected for the UK population - 26 cases (7.2% of females and 1.3% of males).

The current study of the UK cohort of patients with AATD confirmed a higher prevalence of ulcerative colitis than would be expected in the general population, providing further evidence of a potential link between these 2 conditions. In addition, the data suggested a potential link between hypothyroidism and AATD.