pulmonary disorders
Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia
Introduction
Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is an idiopathic condition in which granulation tissue obstructs alveolar ducts and alveolar spaces with chronic inflammation occurring in adjacent alveoli. Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, a form of Overview of Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias , affects men and women similarly, usually in their 50s or 60s ( About one half of patients recall having an illness that resembled Community-Acquired Pneumonia (ie, a nonresolving flu-like illness characterized by cough, fever, malaise, fatigue, and weight loss) at the onset of the illness. Progressive cough and exertional dyspnea are what usually prompt the patient to seek medical attention. Chest examination demonstrates fine, dry, inspiratory crackles (Velcro crackles) in up to 60% of patients. 