Recognizing NTM
Have you written off your fatigue as natural aging? Or gone for months — maybe years — struggling with repeated lung infections that do not clear despite medication? If so, it may be time to ask yourself, “Could I have MAC infection?”
Symptoms of NTM Mycobacterial Infection
Mycobacterium avium complex symptoms and severity vary, especially if you are dealing with another chronic condition. Diagnosing mycobacterial infection can be challenging, but receiving an NTM diagnosis is the first step to treating your MAC symptoms.
The most noticeable mycobacterial infection symptom is a chronic cough that produces mucus. The other symptoms which warrant investigation include:
- Persistent fatigue — while we all get tired after physical exertion, this level of fatigue does not dissipate with restful sleep.
- Consistent low-grade fever
- Unexplained loss of appetite and/or weight loss
- Shortness of breath
- Recurring respiratory infections that do not respond to treatment
- Chest pain
NTM Lung Disease Contributing Factors
The level of your overall health, the extent of your exposure, and how strong the MAC infection is all play a part in your NTM lung disease. In addition to general symptoms covered above, there is one factor that weighs heavily into the progression of MAC lung disease: underlying health issues.
If you have been diagnosed with chronic lung conditions such as asthma, bronchiectasis, or emphysema, you are at a higher risk for mycobacterial infection. Though not exclusively, NTM disease has been shown to affect some groups at a higher rate.
Age, gender, and lifestyle
seem to play a part as well.
Female
Postmenopausal
Over age 60
A smoker
Environmental landscape for mycobacterial infection
Since some environments create a rich breeding ground for NTM lung disease, where you live can increase your exposure. Although Mycobacterium avium complex bacteria have been identified across the country, they seem to be concentrated on the coast and close to the Great Lakes.
Because of NTM’s affinity to water, it is commonly found in municipal water supplies, household plumbing, home water heaters, showers, and other steamy places, such as hot tubs. Unfortunately, these bacteria are resistant to disinfectants such as chlorine, and can survive at temperatures typical to home environments.
MAC bacteria also thrive naturally in the soil, so any activity that stirs up dirt and creates dust increases the likelihood of breathing in NTM bacterial organisms.
of annual NTM cases in the U.S. have been associated with oceanic coastlines.
