Pediatric pulmonology

• Bronchial asthma: condition in which the airways narrow, usually reversibly, in response to certain stimuli (e.g., allergens, infections).
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia of the premature: chronic lung disease of premature infants. If the infant required prolonged mechanical ventilation and/or oxygen supplementation, normal lung development may have been impaired.
• Lung infections: viral infections of the upper or lower respiratory tract, e.g., pneumonia, which is the infection of the alveoli and surrounding tissues.
• Tuberculosis: chronic contagious infection caused by a bacterium that is airborne.
• Lung or respiratory tract malformations.
• Cystic fibrosis: hereditary disease of the exocrine glands that mainly affects the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems.
• Ciliary dyskinesia: a congenital disease caused by alterations in the structure and function of certain components of the respiratory mucosa known as "cilia," which are responsible for pushing mucus from the bronchi to the nose and throat.

Diagnosis

Diagnostic techniques aimed at identifying respiratory diseases are:

• Bronchoscopy (or pulmonary endoscopy): invasive procedure by introducing a thin fiber-optic tube through the nasal or oral cavities to directly observe the larynx, trachea, and bronchi; the examination allows precise identification of the disease and thus define the most appropriate therapy.
• Sweat test: a landmark test for the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. The test, which is noninvasive and painless, measures the amount of chlorine in sweat. Chlorine is in fact the protein responsible for the disease of cystic fibrosis.

Treatments

Treatment of cystic fibrosis in children can be by:

• Drug therapy: antibiotics, bronchodilators, drugs to thin lung secretions, and treatments to clear the airways for respiratory problems.
• Administration of pancreatic enzyme supplements and vitamins for digestive problems, as well as drugs to improve cystic fibrosis protein function.