‘Hot tub lung’ hits whole Aussie family, doctors report
Cairns medics report the first family-wide cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis contracted from their indoor swimming
An Australian family has earned a unique place in medical history, becoming the first to all contract ‘hot tub lung’ from their indoor swimming pool.
Doctors from the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service have shared the story of five family members who contracted hypersensitivity pneumonitis, AKA hot tub lung, from aerosolised non-tuberculous mycobacteria typically found in hot steam water.
The case — which they dubbed ‘hot tub lung machine’ — came to light when the 17-year-old son was admitted to the ED seven days after being discharged from hospital after an ankle reconstruction.
He presented with cough, low-grade fevers and progressively worsening dyspnoea, the doctors wrote in Respirology Case Reports.
