Cryptogenic disease
Encyclopedia
A cryptogenic disease is a disease
of which the cause is unknown. It may be used in a particular case, when the nature of the patient's condition is known but the cause has not been found (e.g. cryptogenic stroke
). The word cryptogenic also appears in the names of some disease entities, when the situation is sufficiently common to be considered a diagnosis
in its own right (e.g. cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis).
Cryptogenic, idiopathic
and primary may all be used in both these senses, but cryptogenic is more likely to be used where there is presumed to be a simple cause but this happens to have eluded discovery. Cryptogenic is used in this technical sense in the description of epilepsy syndromes (although the distinction has now been officially abandoned).
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
of which the cause is unknown. It may be used in a particular case, when the nature of the patient's condition is known but the cause has not been found (e.g. cryptogenic stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
). The word cryptogenic also appears in the names of some disease entities, when the situation is sufficiently common to be considered a diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
in its own right (e.g. cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis).
Cryptogenic, idiopathic
Idiopathic
Idiopathic is an adjective used primarily in medicine meaning arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause. From Greek ἴδιος, idios + πάθος, pathos , it means approximately "a disease of its own kind". It is technically a term from nosology, the classification of disease...
and primary may all be used in both these senses, but cryptogenic is more likely to be used where there is presumed to be a simple cause but this happens to have eluded discovery. Cryptogenic is used in this technical sense in the description of epilepsy syndromes (although the distinction has now been officially abandoned).
Cryptogenic diseases
In practice, the term cryptogenic is largely restricted to certain specific conditions. These include:- diseases of the lung: cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia
- diseases of the liver: cryptogenic cirrhosisCirrhosisCirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
, cryptogenic hepatitisHepatitisHepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"... - diseases of the brain: cryptogenic strokeStrokeA stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, cryptogenic epilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...