NTM Lung Disease: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment (2024)

What is nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease?

This rare condition occurs when nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) causes a lung infection.

There are two types of NTM lung disease:

Nodular bronchiectasis: This is the most common form and can be a milder form of the disease. It’s seen slightly more in people assigned female at birth who’ve completed menopause and are nonsmokers.
Cavitary NTM lung disease: This type is a marker of more severe infection and can lead to respiratory failure. It slowly creates holes within your lung tissue and is slightly more common in people who smoke or have smoked and have an underlying lung disease like emphysema.

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What is NTM?

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are a family of slow-growing bacteria that exist in soil, water and dust, making them impossible to avoid. They can be resistant to disinfectants. They can also survive high temperatures that typically destroy other types of bacteria.

The severity of infection, treatment approach and prognosis depend on which bacteria strain is causing the infection and whether the disease is nodular bronchiectatic or cavitary. They include:

Mycobacterium avium complex (most NTM lung disease in the U.S. is typically from this strain).
Mycobacterium abscessus.
Mycobacterium kansasii.

Who gets NTM lung disease?

You're more likely to experience an NTM lung infection if you're living with certain types of predisposing conditions like other types of lung disease. These include:

Recurring pneumonia, including aspirate pneumonia that occurs when something you breathe in infects your lungs.
Asthma.
Bronchiectasis. This is the most common predisposing risk factor.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Cystic fibrosis.
Lung cancer.
Tuberculosis.

You may also be at risk if you’re over age 65, have conditions that weaken your immune system or take medications that suppress your immune system. These include: