Childhood interstitial lung disease

Childhood interstitial lung disease, sometimes abbreviated as ChILD, is a family of rare chronic and complex disorders that affect the lungs of children. In the lungs, these disorders affect the interstitium, which is the space around the alveoli. The alveoli are the air sacs of the lungs. For these disorders, the alveoli are typically impaired by inflammatory and fibrotic changes which can lead to dyspnea, diffuse infiltrates on chest radiographs, and abnormal pulmonary function tests.

Not all types of interstitial lung disease that occur in adults occur also in children, and vice versa. The group of disorders is heterogenous, and there are different definitions of what exactly should be classed as a ChILD disorder.

Childhood interstitial lung disease is a serious condition, with high morbidity and mortality. People with ChILD are at a higher risk of developing pulmonary hypertension, and development of pulmonary hypertension is associated with poor survival rates.