PROLASTIN-C, Alpha-1 - Proteinase Inhibitor (Human)

Lifestyle changes for Alpha-1

While lifestyle changes cannot cure Alpha-1, they can reduce the impact of low-AAT on your patient’s body.

Protect lungs from irritants

Smoking increases the amount of neutrophil elastase in lungs and may speed up the progression of lung damage. Assure your patients that quitting may not be easy, but it may be done. Discuss therapeutic and behavior modification programs with your patients.

If your patients live in the United States, they can call the American Lung Association (800-LUNG-USA, 800-586-4872) or get more information on quitting.

Learn more about how smoking can accelerate lung function decline.

Prevent infections and treat them aggressively. Your patient responds to infection by producing neutrophil elastase, which can damage lungs.

Avoid environmental pollutants, both at home and in the workplace, if possible.

Second-hand smoke is dangerous if your patient has Alpha-1. If someone in the household smokes, your patient should ask them to stop, or step outside when smoking, or avoid them when they smoke.

Pollutants in the workplace are harmful. If your patient has Alpha-1, he or she should wear a mask around dust or vapors. They can ask to be moved to a place with more favorable conditions. Together, you can consult an environmental or occupational physician, if necessary.

Air pollution can hurt patients with Alpha-1. Advise them to stay indoors when ozone values are too high, and consider moving to a less polluted area.

Wood stoves generate harmful, lung-damaging particles.

Home heating and air conditioning filters must be changed on a regular basis to reduce inhaled particulates.

Help Alphas stay healthy. Managing Environmental Risk Factors, a brochure from AlphaNet that you can share with your patients.

Proper nutrition

Good nutrition helps maintain lung function 3 ways:

1. Improves muscle function—Your patient’s energy levels are lowered when they don’t eat enough. Muscle tissue, including breathing muscles, may be used to meet energy needs. This can lead to reduced strength, increased fatigue, and breathlessness. Bad nutrition can have an adverse effect on the diaphragm. A healthy diet preserves the body's energy and strength.
2. Increases "triggers" for breathing—With Alpha-1, your patients have low levels of blood oxygen, which can trigger increased respiration.¹ Poor nutrition adversely affects signaling and exacerbates the problem of low blood oxygen. Proper eating habits help avoid this.
3. Improves resistance to infection—Poor nutrition increases susceptibility to lung infections. Avoiding infection in the lungs is important for Alphas. Good eating habits are an important way to maintain health.

Alphas have special dietary needs

Lung disease produces a lot of CO₂ in the bloodstream. This leads to weakness in the diaphragm and other breathing muscles, which can lead to respiratory failure. The goal is to decrease foods that produce CO₂ and the resulting demand on the lungs.

There are several guidelines that are common for Alphas:

• Increase fats and decrease carbohydrates
• Do not exceed caloric requirements
• Avoid excessive fluid intake
• Maintain adequate levels of phosphorous by eating dairy foods, lean meats, fish, beans, peas, whole grain cereals, and nuts

Fats reduce CO₂ production

Nutrients have respiratory quotients (RQ): the amount of CO₂ produced versus the amount of oxygen consumed. The lower the RQ, the lower the CO₂. The RQs of the 3 major kinds of nutrients are:

• Carbohydrates - 1.0
• Protein - 0.8
• Fat - 0.7

A diet higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates is best for Alphas, but only to provide calories they need. Obesity puts added strain on lungs.

There are nutritional supplements designed specifically for people with obstructive lung diseases. They may help your patients balance their nutrients.

Maintain proper weight

Weight loss is a common problem in patients with chronic lung diseases such as Alpha-1; up to 40% of patients have progressive weight loss. One theory is that people with Alpha-1 take in fewer calories. Another is that people with Alpha-1 burn more calories because they use more energy breathing. What may be enough for a person with normal lung function may not be enough for an Alpha.

Exercise

Routine exercise improves mental outlook, stamina, and physical well-being. The long-term benefits are significant.^1,2

Discuss goals with your Alphas, and tailor an exercise program to their needs. Many patients find that simple, routine stretching exercises, walking, or bicycling improves exercise tolerance.

The right amount of exercise is different for each individual depending on physical well-being and lung function. Advise them to start with low-intensity activity such as walking. Chart out a plan and encourage them to record their progress. After 3 to 4 weeks, they should see progress. Set realistic goals and redefine them as tolerance and stamina improve.^1,2

Reduce stress

Managing stress will help Alphas feel better and avoid adverse effects on health. Stress management offers benefits such as improved breathing, reduced shortness of breath, and relief of anxiety through relaxation techniques.

Breathing exercises and muscle relaxation are the most common ways to relieve stress. Other techniques include biofeedback, visualization, hypnosis, systematic desensitization, positive thinking, and yoga.

The following is a brief summary of stress management techniques:

• Breathing exercises relieve stress and increase exercise tolerance. For best results, practice proper breathing techniques on a daily basis
• Muscle relaxation improves overall sense of well-being and comfort. Through repetition, Alphas learn to recognize and respond to the signs of muscle tension
• Biofeedback reinforces proper breathing and relaxation techniques. This technique teaches Alphas to use muscles properly to relieve stress
• Visualization gives negative feelings a mental representation and changes that image into something positive. Music and artwork enhance the relaxation benefits of visualization
• Hypnotherapy is guided relaxation that helps Alphas recall a pleasurable experience and return to that moment during times of stress
• Systemic desensitization helps patients feel comfortable with stress-producing events
• Positive thinking involves changing negative thoughts into positive ones
• Yoga involves posture control and slow, deep breathing. With practice, patients can make this beneficial breathing pattern an instinctive reflex

Give your patient more information on staying healthy, with a brochure from AlphaNet.

next: Smoking Accelerates Lung Function Decline >