Our three children are in their late 30's and early 40's. Thankfully, none of them have ever smoked. I already know that we are going to have a hard time convincing them that they should be tested. I broached the subject with them before I knew what my levels were and they think I am being an alarmist. They've never heard of Alpha -1 and like many "children" they think they know better than their mother and father. The fact that I have a terrible time walking up stairs or walking any distance doesn't seem to phase them. At this point I'm more worried about our grandchildren who range in age from six to nineteen.

Has anyone seen any information on how to convince reluctant adult"children" to get tested?

@nancyjac You can call the Alpha-1 Assoc. and request info pamphlets for each of your children, along with free testing kits. The pamphlets will explain the hereditary implications. All they have to do is prick their finger and put a drop of blood inside three circles and mail it to the Apha-1 Assoc. The gizmo that pricks your finger is spring-loaded (so it doesn't take guts to do it). The results are confidential, it cannot be shared with insurance companies or anyone else. I have asked my daughter and my siblings to do the test. My brother had one of his three children do it and it came back negative. All others have declined. I think that is a fairly common response.