The Environmental Epidemiology of Idiopathic Interstitial Lung Disease Including Sarcoidosis

Abstract

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by inflammation of the pulmonary interstitium and related structures. Many of these disorders, such as asbestosis, silicosis, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, have known environmental causes. However, among patients with ILDs seen by clinicians in the general population, only about 15% have an identifiable cause. In this article, we review the biological, clinical, and epidemiological evidence that suggests that most idiopathic ILDs are initiated by environmental exposures. The clinicopathological classifications of ILDs are reviewed in association with known causes, and a review of the current literature linking idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis to environmental etiologies is presented.

Key Words:

Environmental - idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - sarcoidosis - interstitial lung diseases