The Association between Behavioral Risk Factors and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the relationship between environmental exposure and nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) in Korea.

Materials And Methods: A group of 150 patients with NTM-PD and a control group of 217 patients with other respiratory diseases were prospectively enrolled between June 2018 and December 2020 in Seoul, Korea. They were surveyed with a standardized questionnaire, and their medical records were reviewed. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results: The mean ages of the NTM-PD and control groups were similar (63.8±9.2 years vs. 63.5±10.0 years; =0.737), and most patients were female (76.0% vs. 68.7%; =0.157) and nonsmokers (82.0% vs. 72.8%; =0.021). (49.3%) was the most commonly identified strain among NTM-PD patients, followed by (32.0%) and subspecies (12.7%). There were no differences in housing type or frequency of soil- or pet-related exposure between the case and the control groups. However, in subgroup analysis excluding patients with infection, more case patients frequently visited public baths ≥1 time/week (35.3% vs. 19.4%, =0.003); this remained significant after multivariate analysis (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.58-5.17).

Conclusion: Frequent exposure to water at public baths might affect the odds of contracting NTM-PD, excluding individuals infected with strains.