Idiopathic non-specific interstitial pneumonia (Q91643): Difference between revisions

Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia is one type of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia has been associated with many medical conditions, although a causal link has not been identified. In addition, it may be idiopathic. Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia(NSIP) originated as a histopathologic categorization reserved for surgical lung biopsies not demonstrating a clearly identifiable pattern. The histopathologic pattern of NSIP is found in a wide variety of diseases of known cause (e.g., hypersensitivity pneumonitis, drug-related, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]–related, and collagen-vascular diseases). Moreover, many patients diagnosed with idiopathic NSIP meet the case definition of undifferentiated connective tissue disease, suggesting that idiopathic NSIP might actually be an autoimmune disease. In addition, it is estimated that up to 15% to 20% of patients who present with a chronic ILD either have an occult connective tissue disease or subsequently develop a clinically overt connective tissue disease. In this particular group of patients, the initial clinical presentation may be essentially indistinguishable from that of several IIPs (especially NSIP and UIP).