• Eun Young Kim, Su Young Chi, In Jae Oh, Kyu Sik Kim, Yu Il Kim, Sung Chul Lim, Young Chul Kim, and Yong Soo Kwon.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
• Korean J. Intern. Med. 2011 Mar 1;26(1):54-9.

Background/AimsThe frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease in HIV-negative patients is increasing; the most common pathogen in Korea is the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). However, few studies have evaluated the treatment outcome of MAC pulmonary disease in Korea.MethodsThe efficacy of a clarithromycin-containing regimen for MAC pulmonary disease was studied in 42 patients treated for more than 6 months between January 2005 and December 2008. All patients were treated with a regimen consisting of clarithromycin, rifampin, and ethambutol. Streptomycin was added in 10 patients.ResultsAmong the 42 patients, a negative culture conversion was achieved in 33 (78.6%), and the median duration of treatment in these patients was 19 months (interquartile range [IQR], 16 to 22). Of the 33 patients with a negative culture conversion, 14 completed treatment. During the follow-up period (median, 10 months; IQR, 4 to 20) for the 14 patients, one relapsed at 24 months after treatment completion. The culture conversion rate was significantly higher in patients who were treated with more than 500 mg/day clarithromycin (87.1% vs. 54.5%, p = 0.038).ConclusionsThe combined regimen including clarithromycin was effective against MAC pulmonary disease. High-dose clarithromycin of more than 500 mg/day may improve the outcome of patients with MAC pulmonary disease.

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