Long-term coughing and coughing up blood are actually related to bathing! Be careful when bathing in winter!

Review expert: Peng Guoqiu, deputy chief physician of the Fourth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

As the weather gets colder, taking a warm bath has become a must for many people. However, such a thing that makes people feel comfortable and happy may also cause harm to our bodies.

Long-term coughing and bleeding, it turned out that taking a bath caused the trouble

Ms. Li, who lives in Hangzhou, has a very strict diet. Although she has a slender figure, her nutrition is unbalanced, which has led to a significant decline in her immunity. For three or four years, she has been tormented by coughs. Due to long-term coughing, sputum, and hemoptysis, Ms. Li suspected that she had tuberculosis. After further examination at the hospital, she was diagnosed with nontuberculous mycobacterium pulmonary disease (NTM pulmonary disease). After further examination, it was identified as nontuberculous mycobacterium-avian Mycobacterium infection. After treatment, Ms. Li's condition improved, but a year later, she began to cough again and her sputum was stained with blood. She came to the hospital for examination again and was diagnosed with a recurrence of nontuberculous mycobacterium pulmonary disease (NTM pulmonary disease), which was still Mycobacterium avian.

Ms. Li said that she likes to take hot showers very much. She would wait for a long time for the hot water to fill the bathroom with mist before taking a shower. She has not changed her shower head for more than 10 years! The doctor said that this may be the reason why Ms. Li had repeated infections.

So what exactly is Mycobacterium avium? And what does it have to do with bathing? Does this mean that bathing is no longer an option in winter?

Nontuberculous mycobacteria - Mycobacterium avium

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a large group of mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae. They mainly affect the lungs and can cause chronic inflammation, lung tissue damage, and in severe cases affect respiratory function.

Mycobacterium avium is a member of the avian intracellular Mycobacterium complex and is generally carried in the environment of birds, but it is also widely present in natural environments such as water and soil. It is a conditional pathogen that is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract and can also cause acute or chronic infections through skin wounds, the digestive tract, damaged skin and mucous membranes, and other sites.

Mycobacterium avium

Mycobacterium avium can exist for a long time in the pipes of urban water supply systems and can also parasitize on bathroom shower heads. In addition, shower heads are often damp, dark, and warm, which further promotes the growth of Mycobacterium avium. If inhaled by immunocompromised patients, it will lead to lung colonization and disease.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection of cavities and spaces in the lungs

In addition, Mycobacterium avium is naturally resistant to many antibiotics and anti-tuberculosis drugs and requires combined treatment with multiple antibiotics.

It is very easy to misdiagnose or miss the diagnosis, so these people should be careful

As we mentioned earlier, avian Mycobacterium can be transmitted in many ways, not limited to the respiratory tract. It can also enter the human body through skin wounds, the digestive tract, and damaged skin and mucous membranes, causing acute or chronic infections.

Once infected, it may not only cause discomfort such as coughing, sputum, chest tightness, joint pain, etc., but may also affect the lungs, causing lung tissue damage, and in severe cases even affecting respiratory function.

In addition, the infection caused by this bacteria often occurs in the lungs, and the related symptoms are very similar to those of tuberculosis, but the onset is more hidden, lacking specific imaging manifestations, and is easily missed and misdiagnosed, making treatment more difficult. If you have repeated coughing, coughing up blood, etc., you can't think of "long-term illness makes you a doctor yourself", you must go to the hospital for a formal examination! And these people should pay more attention!

1. People who already suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

2. People with primary immunodeficiency diseases

3. Patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis

4. People with a history of tuberculosis or abnormal lung structure

5. The elderly

It is very easy to misdiagnose or miss the diagnosis, so these people should be careful

Mycobacterium avium infection is indeed terrible, but does that mean we can't take a bath in winter?

Replace shower heads regularly and consider taking a bath

Replace the shower head regularly and descale it every three months or so by adding clean water to white vinegar in a 1:1 ratio, soak the shower head for 3 hours, and then rinse it clean. People with poor immunity can consider taking a bath in a tub, which can also help reduce the inhalation of microbial aerosols and reduce the risk of infection during bathing.

The water temperature should not be too high, and the body and bathroom should be preheated

If the bath water temperature is too high, it may aggravate dry skin and increase the burden on the heart. It is more appropriate to keep the water temperature at 38℃-40℃ in winter. In winter, the temperature difference between indoor and bathroom is large. Before bathing, you can warm up your body by stepping on the spot, twisting your waist, and rubbing your feet. You can also turn on the bathroom heater a few minutes in advance to preheat the bathroom.

Shorten the bathing time and take a bath in a reasonable order

Taking a bath for too long will cause the sympathetic nerves to be excited for a long time, increase the heart rate and blood pressure, and increase the burden on the heart. It is also easy to damage the skin barrier function. When the weather is cold, the recommended order of bathing is face, hands and feet - body - head. Because of the cold weather, the blood pressure changes greatly before and after bathing, which can easily cause stroke.

Taking a bath is a relaxing and pleasant thing, but don't let bad habits bring misfortune to happiness~

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