Hot Tub Lung 

A persistent cough, chronic weariness, and lack of muscle strength might be diagnosed as many things. However, if the patient pays regular visits to a hot tub at home or at a fitness club, or if they work around hot tubs (long term care facility, rehab clinic), the problem might very well be what researchers are calling “Hot Tub Lung.” 

At the American Thoracic Society meeting in 2005, Dr. Viktor Hanak of the renown Mayo Clinic issued a warning to people who regularly use or are exposed to hot tubs, “drain the tub and never go in it again.” 

Hot Tub Lung is caused by the respiration of Mycobacterium avium, a common microbre of the soil and water. Many physicians who find the bacterium in a sample will dismiss it as an environmental contaminant. The bacteria can trigger an allergic reaction in the lungs, particularly in the elderly or people with compromised immune systems, that mimics several lung diseases. It is often misdiagnosed as asthma, bronchitis or sarcoidosis. In one Mayo Clinic study of 21 confirmed cases of Hot Tub Lung, all had been previously misdiagnosed as having another respiratory disease, and all were regular hot tub users. 

Continuing to use or work around a hot tub could be a downward spiral to possible incapacitation. People feel poorly, and try to make themselves feel better by staying longer in the hot tub. Then they feel worse. 

According to the Mayo Clinic study, the M. avium microbe can be found in the water used to fill the rub, or on the bodies that enter the tub without first showering. 

However, if the tub is maintained and disinfected correctly, preferably with an oxidizing agent, and if the water is sanitized according to manufacturer’s directions, the organism will be killed. Proper disinfection of the pump, water lines and jets cannot be overemphasized. 

In the future, researchers predict, there will be many hot tub-sized gardens on people’s patios and back decks… perhaps the best defence again Hot Tub Lung.