Cockayne's syndrome and emphysema.

A 5-year-old boy with Cockayne's syndrome is described. In addition to the recognised clinical features, he presented with severe fixed airways obstruction, and investigations confirmed clinical and physiological emphysema. In a disorder associated with many of the features of aging, it is probably that the presence of relative alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (1.5 g/l) in a child with PiMZ phenotype, contributed to his severe lung disease.