What do you call a condition when the cause of the disease is unknown?

The term "idiopathic" is used to describe a condition where the cause of a disease is unknown. In the medical field, idiopathic ailments are particularly challenging because, without understanding the underlying cause, it can be difficult to develop effective treatments or preventive measures.

For example, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease with no clear cause, making it difficult for healthcare providers to predict outcomes or create targeted therapies. The focus tends to be on alleviating symptoms rather than addressing an unidentifiable etiology.

In contrast, congenital conditions are those that are present from birth, acquired conditions develop after birth due to environmental factors, and hereditary diseases are genetic disorders passed from parents to offspring. Each of these terms describes specific origins of disease that can be traced back to known factors, making them distinct from idiopathic conditions where there is a lack of identifiable cause.