The Lady Windermere syndrome is a rare, and also poorly understood, isolated right middle lobe or lingular bronchiectasis that is associated with pulmonary MAC infection that is predominantly seen in thin, tall females.
Lady Windermere syndrome is a medical term which refers to a pattern of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection seen typically in elderly white women who chronically suppress the normal cough reflex.
A fastidious nature and a reticence to expectorate are believed to predispose such persons to infections with MAC.
Approximately 1 in 4 people with weakened immune systems who develop the cavitary type of MAC lung disease die within five years of the initial MAC lung disease diagnosis.
Earlier detection and treatment drastically minimize the long term risks.
Most people don't get sick from MAC bacteria.
They coined the expression, "Lady Windermere's Syndrome," naming it after a character in an Oscar Wilde play (Lady Windermere's Fan) whose Victorian-era manners prevented her from coughing and spitting.
The differential diagnosis for these symptoms is broad and includes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, postnasal drip, lung cancer, and heart failure.
People with Lady Windermere syndrome usually respond well to clarithromycin-based multi-drug regimens, but surgery is sometimes required to resect the infected regions of the lung. Keywords: Lady Windermere Syndrome, nodular bronchiectasis, M. avium, non-tuberculous Mycobacterial spp (NTM).
If properly treated and monitored, most people with bronchiectasis have a normal life expectancy.
People with bronchiectasis are more likely to die because of other medical conditions that affect all people (like heart disease or cancer) than to die directly from bronchiectasis.