The Clinical Course and Prognosis of Patients With Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease After Solid Organ Transplantation

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 38; no. 6; pp. e46 - 9
• Main Authors: Kim, Joong-Yub, Han, Ahram, Lee, Hajeong, Ha, Jongwon, Lee, Kwang-Woong, Suh, Kyung-Suk, Yi, Nam-Joon, Min, Sangil, Hong, Suk Kyun, Kim, Yong Chul, Choi, YoungRok, Yim, Jae-Joon, Kwak, Nakwon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 13.02.2023; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Disease Progression; Humans; Lung Diseases - microbiology; Male; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - diagnosis; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - drug therapy; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - etiology; Organ Transplantation - adverse effects; Original; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; 의학일반; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Pulmonary Disease; Immunocompromised; Solid Organ Transplantation
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e46

Due to impaired cell-mediated immunity, solid organ transplantation (SOT) recipients are at increased risk of developing nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). However, the clinical course of NTM-PD in SOT patients and the impact of SOT on the prognosis of NTM-PD remain unclear. We analyzed patients who developed NTM-PD after receiving SOT between January 2001 and December 2020, at a tertiary referral hospital in South Korea. Baseline characteristics, clinical course, and prognosis were evaluated. Propensity score-matched analysis was performed to assess the impact of SOT on long-term survival in patients with NTM-PD. Among 4,685 SOT recipients over 20 years, 12 patients (median age, 64 years; interquartile range [IQR], 59-67 years; men, 66.7%) developed NTM-PD. Seven (58.3%) and five (41.7%) patients underwent kidney and liver transplantation, respectively, before the diagnosis of NTM-PD. The incidence of NTM-PD was 35.6 cases per 100,000 person-years among kidney transplant recipients and 28.7 cases per 100,000 person-years among liver transplant recipients. The median time between transplantation and the diagnosis of NTM-PD was 3.3 (IQR, 1.5-10.8) years. The most common mycobacterial species was (50.0%). Antibiotic treatment was initiated in five (41.7%) patients, and two patients (40.0%) achieved microbiological cure. Two patients died during a median follow-up of 4.2 (IQR, 2.3-8.8) years and NTM-PD was assumed to be the cause of death in one patient. When matched to patients without a history of SOT, patients with a history of SOT did not show worse survival ( value for log-rank test = 0.62). The clinical course of NTM-PD in SOT recipients was comparable to that of patients without SOT, and SOT did not increase the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with NTM-PD.