Frequency: United States
Sex
Age
Race
Frequency: International
Because of the rarity of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis X (PLCH) , no definitive epidemiologic data related to racial background are available.
The peak incidence of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis X (PLCH) occurs in the 20- to 40-year age bracket.
Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis X (PLCH) is a rare disorder and the true prevalence is unknown. At 1 specialty referral center in the United States, PLCH was identified in less than 5% of patients who underwent lung biopsy for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. At another center, 15 cases of PLCH were found after lung biopsy, compared with 274 cases of sarcoidosis.
In Belgium, 3% of patients evaluated at 20 pulmonary referral centers were diagnosed with PLCH. A large Japanese study estimated the prevalence of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis X (PLCH) at 0.27 males and 0.07 females per 100,000 population based on hospital discharge diagnoses over a 1-year period. Scant epidemiologic data are available regarding this disease in the developing world.
No sex predilection is recognized for pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis X (PLCH).
