Millions of people worldwide suffer from treatable and preventable chronic lung diseases, yet many have never been diagnosed. In an effort to address this issue, the Vermont Lung Center at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care held a Lung Health Day event on June 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Davis Auditorium concourse on Level 2 of Fletcher Allen’s Ambulatory Care Center.

In conjunction with this event, the Vermont Lung Center, with support from the Alpha-1 Foundation, offered free lung testing using spirometry, as well as a simple finger stick blood test, for those who qualified, to check for Alpha-A Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), a genetic condition that results in a deficiency of the enzyme alpha-1 antitrypsin, which protects the lung from excessive inflammation and damage.

Spirometry is a basic test to screen for lung disease, in which you blow forcefully through a tube, which measures your lung capacity. This procedure detects nearly 20 percent of individuals with some form of lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or asthma. Emphysema – the destruction of lung tissue usually due to tobacco use – is an important component of COPD. Nearly 3 percent of COPD patients have AATD.

For more information, contact the Vermont Lung Center at 802-847-2193.