Background: Nontuberculous Mycobacterium-related pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is commonly caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and is increasingly recognized in veterans. NTM-PD carries an increased risk of mortality, and lack of treatment is an predictor of increased mortality.
Methods: We describe the clinical characteristics of veterans diagnosed with MAC-pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) followed in a health care setting with varying treatment practices. We reviewed the electronic health records of veterans without HIV who had sputum culture-positive MAC-PD followed at the Jesse Brown Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Results: We identified 19 veterans diagnosed with MAC-PD between 2008 and 2019. They were predominantly male (89.5%), Black (73.6%), and had a median age of 74 years. Sixteen veterans (84.2%) had underlying lung disease, and 16 (84.2%) were current or former smokers. Respiratory symptoms were reported in 17 veterans (89.5%). Guideline-directed combination antimycobacterial therapy was initiated in 10 veterans (52.6%); however, only 5 (50.0%) completed treatment. Comorbidities, symptoms, and findings on chest imaging at diagnosis were similar among treated and untreated veterans.
Conclusions: Clinical, imaging, and treatment attributes of MAC-PD in veterans without HIV who reside in metropolitan Chicago are heterogeneous and are associated with a relatively high mortality rate. Further studies are warranted to characterize MAC-PD and its treatment in veterans without HIV who reside in underresourced urban communities in the US.
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