Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia

What it is

A rare pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor, most often presenting in women over 50 years and no smokers, characterized by long-lasting cough (>10 years), and less frequently by dispnea or wheezing. A proportion of patients are asymptomatic, the disease being an incidental finding during routine check-ups. Diffuse pulmonary nodules and mosaic attenuation can be detected by CT-scan however only histopathology can confirm the diagnosis detecting a multifocal hyperplasia of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (carcinoid tumorlets). Ventilatory dysfunction can be obstructive and less often restrictive, mixed or non-specific. Symptoms can progress slowly but sometimes lead to respiratory failure. It is considered as a precursor for pulmonary carcinoid tumor.

Key facts

Prevalence

<1 / 1 000 000

Age of onset

Adult, Elderly

Inheritance

Not applicable

Classified as

Disease

Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.

ICD-10 codes

ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.

Related health topics

Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.

Cross-references