An
idiopathy is any
disease with unknown
pathogenesis or apparently origin. From
Greek ἴδιος
idios "one's own" and πάθος
pathos "suffering",
idiopathy means approximately "a disease of its own kind". For some medical conditions, one or more causes are somewhat understood, but in a certain percentage of people with the condition, the cause may not be readily apparent or characterized. In these cases, the origin of the condition is said to be
idiopathic. With some other medical conditions, the root cause for a large percentage of all cases have not been established—for example,
focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or
ankylosing spondylitis; the majority of these cases are deemed idiopathic. With other conditions, idiopathic cases account for only a small percentage (for example,
pulmonary fibrosis).