Sex differences in clinical and radiographic features of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND: Sex-related differences in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) may influence both clinical presentation and radiographic phenotypes; however, evidence from Chinese populations remains limited. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 218 patients with NTM-PD in China. Patients were stratified by sex. Clinical characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory parameters, and high-resolution computed tomography findings were compared. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between sex and specific radiographic manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: Significant sex differences exist in the clinical and radiographic phenotypes of Chinese patients with NTM-PD. Limitations include the single-center retrospective design, relatively small sample size, lack of long-term follow-up data, and absence of sex hormone and environmental exposure assessments.