title: [Interstitial pneumonia--diagnosis and therapy].
abstract: Interstitial pneumonia is defined as a fibrotic lung disease in which the main lesion sites are in the alveolar interstitium, and develops into respiratory failure due to progression of fibrosis. Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia comprises seven types of different clinico-radiological-pathological disease entities. Among them, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in which the histology is characterized as usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) has a worse prognosis, and the histology is fundamentally different from other types of disease entities in terms of fibrotic nature. However, the histology of UIP shows a better prognosis when associated with collagen vascular diseases. Here, we attempt to review the whole spectrum of interstitial pneumonia, its classification, differential diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic problems.
authors.affiliation: Central Clinic, Research Center, Sanjo-Takakura, Nakagyou-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Sonoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagai
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014944:World Health Organization