Epidemiology
Disease estimates for pulmonary MAC disease in developed countries range from 0.9 to 1.3 cases per 100,000 people.[7]Gilks CF, Brindle RJ, Mwachari C, et al. Disseminated mycobacterium infection among HIV-infected patients in Kenya. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1995 Feb 1;8(2):195-8.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7834402?tool=bestpractice.com
MAC lymphadenitis is primarily a disease of children with approximately 300 cases reported annually in the US.[8]O'Brien RJ, Geiter LJ, Snider DE. The epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases in the United States: results from a national survey. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1987 May;135(5):1007-14.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3579001?tool=bestpractice.com
[9]Joshi W, Davidson PM, Jones PG, et al. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis in children. Eur J Pediatr. 1989 Aug;148(8):751-4.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2792127?tool=bestpractice.com
Patients with healthy immune systems rarely develop illness as a result of MAC. However, in people with HIV, MAC can spread widely and affect almost any organ (especially the liver, spleen, and bone marrow). Prior to the availability of combination antiretroviral therapy, disseminated MAC occurred in 20% to 40% of AIDS patients.[10]Horsburgh CR, Selik RM. The epidemiology of disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Am Rev Respir Dis. 1989 Jan;139(1):4-7.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2912355?tool=bestpractice.com
Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, the incidence of MAC has decreased significantly in HIV-infected patients.[11]Tumbarello M, Tacconelli E, de Donati KG, et al. Changes in incidence and risk factors of Mycobacterium avium complex infections in patients with AIDS in the era of new antiretroviral therapies. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2001 Jul;20(7):498-501.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11561808?tool=bestpractice.com
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