Page 5 - NTM Insight Pamphlet 2024

WHO GETS NTM?
NTM lung disease (NTM pulmonary disease) is not as well-known or understood as tuberculosis (TB). There are certain underlying conditions (sometimes referred to as a comorbidity) that make some people more susceptible to NTM infection, such as prior lung infection, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and genetic diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), and autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP).
NTM lung disease in North America was seen predominantly in men and often misdiagnosed as TB. NTM lung disease then started to be seen more in slender Caucasian post-menopausal women and in men, younger women, and children. In other areas of the world including the Netherlands, the patient profile is quite different and is reported to be changing.
Autoimmune disorders such as Sjogren’s syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may also increase someone’s risk of infection. Immunosuppressive medications such as chemotherapy, prednisone, or drugs used to treat conditions such as RA, psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease, may increase the risk of NTM infection.
NTM may cause infections in areas of the body other than the lungs (“extrapulmonary” or “disseminated”). These infections can occur in bone, skin, or soft tissue. Outbreaks of NTM have been reported and traced to nail salons, laser eye surgery centers, dental clinics, cosmetic procedures, and heater-cooler units used in open-heart (open-chest) surgery. Underlying immune deficiency from inherited disorders and illnesses such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) can also increase susceptiblity to these types of infections.
Other underlying conditions include prior pneumonia, prior inhalation of inorganic dust, including silica, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD – which is spillage of material from the esophagus into the lungs), bronchiectasis, emphysema, or cigarette-induced lung disease.
Current estimates place the number of people with NTM lung disease as high as 220,000 people in the United States at any given time, with that number rising 8.2% each year in people 65 years and older. (Strollo et al., 2015)
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