Trends in the Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease Mortality Rate in Japan: A Nationwide Observational Study, 1997–2016

Abstract

Background The incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections has been increasing worldwide, becoming a significant healthcare burden especially among elderly people. This study aimed to evaluate the trends in NTM-associated mortality in Japan. Methods This study used vital statistics data and data on all NTM-associated deaths (N=18,814) among individuals aged ≥40 years in Japan from 1997 to 2016. We calculated the crude and age-adjusted mortality rates by age and sex and used joinpoint regression to analyze trends and estimate the average annual percentage change (AAPC). We compared crude NTM- and tuberculosis (TB)-associated mortality rates by sex. Results The overall crude annual mortality rate increased from 0.63/100,000/year in 1997 to 1.93/100,000/year in 2016 and was the highest among individuals aged 80–84 years. The AAPC of the crude mortality rates among males of all ages and females aged 40–59 years were stable but increased among females aged 60–79 years (3.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.8–4.3%) and ≥80 years (4.3%, 95% CI: 3.7–4.9%). Among males, the age-adjusted mortality rates did not show a significant trend, while among females, the rates increased over the study period (AAPC: 4.6%, 95% CI: 2.7–6.6%). In females, the crude NTM-associated mortality rate exceeded the TB mortality rate in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Conclusions NTM mortality increased in Japan between 1997 and 2016, especially among the elderly female population. Given the increasing NTM-associated mortality and susceptible aging population, public health authorities in Japan should pay greater attention to NTM infections.

Impact of emphysema on the prognosis of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease

“…It means male sex does not contribute to poor prognosis among the middle-old and oldest-old population. Older individuals and women are more susceptible to MAC-PD, although the reasons for this remain unclear [5,15,44]. Previous reports about MAC-PD mainly enrolled the middle-aged MAC patients (mean age, 60-68 years) [3,35,36,42], while we enrolled older population comparing with previous reports (mean age, 73.0 ± 9.8 years).…”

“…Male sex was not prognostic factor in our study. Harada et al reported the older female MAC population (especially over 80 years old) experienced a great increase in mortality rates than the male sex in Japan [44]. It means male sex does not contribute to poor prognosis among the middle-old and oldest-old population.…”

Mycobacteriophage Derived Lipoarabinomannan Binding Protein for Recognizing Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria

“…5 The incidence and prevalence of NTM infections rise and is an emergency worldwide for decades. 6,7 Thereby, it is of great significance to develop rapid and reliable methods for detecting NTM to meet the demand of medical diagnosis.…”

“…Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a large family of opportunistic pathogens distributed in environmental niches, which causes various nosocomial infections including chronic pulmonary disease, cervical lymphadenitis, skin lesion, and bacteremia . The incidence and prevalence of NTM infections rise and is an emergency worldwide for decades. , Thereby, it is of great significance to develop rapid and reliable methods for detecting NTM to meet the demand of medical diagnosis.…”

Epidemiological characteristics of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis and bronchiectasis: comparative study using national mortality statistics from 1970 to 2015 in Japan

“…Therefore, it is important to analyse the epidemiological data regarding the two diseases simultaneously. In a previous study, NTM mortality data showed that the number of deaths increased substantially in females, with 1121 deaths in 2010 [ 2 , 18 ]. However, the data lacked information on the influence of bronchiectasis and vice versa.…”