[Two Surgical Cases of Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease with the Lupus Anticoagulant].

The lupus anticoagulant is one of the antiphospholipid antibodies that inhibit the phospholipid-dependent coagulation pathway. Lupus anticoagulant-positive patients are often associated with abnormal blood coagulation, which cause thrombosis or miscarriage. We report two surgical cases of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease (M. avium) with the lupus anticoagulant. Both patients were women around 70 years of age with no past history, including thrombosis or miscarriage. Despite treatment, M. avium continued to be cultured from their sputum and eventually blood sputum appeared. They were performed surgical operations and the postoperative courses were uneventful without anticoagulation. Although the report of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease with the lupus anticoagulant is extremely rare, the involvement of infection in the pathogenesis of the lupus anticoagulant has been reported. The further research between lupus anticoagulant and pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial infection is necessary.