Children’s interstitial lung disease (chILD) is a term used to describe a group of rare diseases in infants and children. If chILD is suggested, efforts should be made to determine what type of chILD the child might have as different types of chILD have different long term issues that can be serious. This will require many tests. One thing is clear; chILD in infants and young children is different than in adults. A pediatric pulmonary doctor with expertise in chILD should be consulted.
An infant or child may have chILD if he or she has at least 3 of the following categories of problems without a known cause. Infants can have chILD from birth that rapidly progresses but older infants and children have these problems persistently for months.
1. Symptoms of abnormal breathing (cough, fast breathing, retractions, exercise intolerance)
2. Evidence for problems with oxygen (abnormal oxygen at rest, night or with exercise)
3. Abnormal chest Xrays
4. Presence of abnormal sounds
