Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Hot tub lung
Introduction
A hypersensitivity pneumonitis like syndrome has been described in patients exposed to aerosolized Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). Hot tub lung is a term used to describe these hypersensitivity pneumonitis-like cases because they have generally been associated with hot tub use. The syndrome has been linked to the high levels of infectious aerosols containing MAC organisms found in the water. Whether this syndrome represents a true MAC infection or classic HP remains controversial (Marras, 2005).
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]