Nowadays, more and more people who pursue the quality of life will put an aromatherapy humidifier on the bedside table and desk at home. As everyone knows, improper use can lead to lung infection. Recently, a hospital in Guangzhou diagnosed a patient with pulmonary cryptococcal infection, and the “culprit” was caused by her lack of cleaning using an aromatherapy humidifier at home all year round. Experts remind that aromatherapy humidifiers should be cleaned regularly and avoid using tap water.
Prolonged cough and multiple nodules in the lungs
It was actually a rare fungal infection
A few months ago, Ms. Chen (pseudonym), 45, took a long time The cough did not heal, and the sputum and sputum were bloody for more than half a month. Because of the increasing severity, he went to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University for treatment. The results of a series of chest X-ray examinations, chest CT plain scans, and chest enhanced CT scans showed that “the patient had multiple nodules and exudates in both lungs, and fungal infection was considered, and tumors were not excluded”.
This surprised Ms. Chen. Since Ms. Chen’s family had a history of cancer, Ms. Chen thought she was unfortunately also suffering from cancer.
Fortunately, after completing the relevant examinations, Ms. Chen’s tumor indicators were not abnormal, but the cryptococcal antigen infection test showed positive. Wei Liping, director and chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, explained: “This means that the patient’s lung infection and nodules are caused by Cryptococcus infection. Cryptococcus is a yeast that is widely distributed in nature. It exists in soil and poultry feces, and cryptococcal infection mostly occurs in immunocompromised patients, and infection in normal people is relatively rare.”
pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) is a pulmonary disease caused by cryptococcosis fungal disease. Inhalation of cryptococcal spores in the respiratory tract is the main route of infection for pulmonary cryptococcosis, and its clinical manifestations can be asymptomatic or present with symptoms of pulmonary infection such as cough, sputum, and fever. Antigen testing to diagnose. If not treated in a timely manner, cryptococcal encephalitis will be caused, and the follow-up treatment will be longer, more complicated, and even life-threatening.
Expert Tips:
The aromatherapy humidifier should be cleaned regularly and avoid using tap water
Cryptococcus infection is relatively rare. How did Ms. Chen get infected? After careful consultation, it was learned that Ms. Chen has been using aromatherapy humidifiers at home for the past four or five years, usually cleaning it only once a few months. Combined with the patient’s several inspection reports and self-reports, the doctor speculated that the patient may be due to the insufficient liquid in the humidifier. , The container is not cleaned in time, which leads to “pulmonary cryptococcosis”, and antifungal treatment is given to it, and the dynamic review is carried out through the outpatient department.
After several months of anti-infective treatment, Ms. Chen’s recent chest CT examination showed that her lung lesions had shrunk a lot, and her condition has improved a lot, but she still needs to continue anti-infective treatment.
The doctor reminded that household humidifiers are often not cleaned in time, and hope that the public can learn from their lessons and use humidifiers reasonably to avoid excessive humidification and cause germs to multiply. To breed pathogenic microorganisms, it is also necessary to avoid contact with poultry feces in daily life to avoid bacterial infection.
In addition to timely cleaning, the humidifier should also pay attention to the water, and avoid using tap water. There is a certain amount of bacteria in tap water, especially non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Because the outer membrane of non-tuberculous mycobacteria is rich in lipids and has strong hydrophobicity, it determines that it can form aerosols, adhere to the surface, and form biofilms. It also persists in water systems and is resistant to disinfectants and antibiotics.
Source: New Express reporter Gao Yongshu Correspondent Wang Hui Zhu Tianhua