lung and airway disorders
Overview of Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias
Introduction
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias are interstitial lung diseases that have no known cause that have some similarities in symptoms and how they affect the lungs. Some types of these diseases are much more serious than others. Diagnosis requires chest x-rays, computed tomography, and occasionally analysis of a sample of lung tissue (biopsy). Treatment depends on the disease type. (See also Overview of Interstitial Lung Diseases .) The wordidiopathicmeans of unknown cause, so when the cause of interstitial lung disease is not identified, idiopathic interstitial pneumonia is diagnosed. Pneumonias are often thought of as infections, but these diseases do not appear to result from infection. There are eight types of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. In decreasing order of frequency, they are Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis None Respiratory Bronchiolitis–Associated Interstitial Lung Disease and Desquamative Interstitial Pneumonia None Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia None Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia None Respiratory Bronchiolitis–Associated Interstitial Lung Disease and Desquamative Interstitial Pneumonia None Acute Interstitial Pneumonia None Lymphoid Interstitial Pneumonia None Idiopathic Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis None All types cause cough and shortness of breath and affect the lungs similarly. The ends of the fingers may become thick or club-shaped (see figure). Through a stethoscope, doctors often hear crackling sounds. Although symptoms may be similar, disorders differ in how quickly symptoms develop, how they are treated, and how serious they are. 