Overview of the Chronic Diffuse Interstitial Lung Diseases

Chronic diffuse lung diseases involve a spectrum of nonneoplastic inflammatory conditions that affect the lung parenchyma. This chapter reviews the spectrum of disease including idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, pulmonary manifestations of systemic collagen vascular disease, diffuse eosinophilc lung disease, drug-associated lung disease, diffuse granulomatous lung disease, and a variety of miscellaneous diseases that defy classification. Individual entities are reviewed, followed by a section highlighting a practical approach to the four most common patterns of injury encountered in practice.