Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
[Lung diseases in children]
O Sommerburg1, J P Schenk, M A Mall
1Sektion Pädiatrische Pneumologie & Allergologie und Mukoviszidose-Zentrum, Klinik III, Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland, olaf.sommerburg@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Insights
Pediatric lung diseases, including pneumonia and asthma, require ongoing diagnostic and therapeutic advancements. Pediatric pulmonology is key to translating research into improved patient outcomes for acute and chronic conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Childhood Respiratory Diseases
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
Context:
- Lung diseases are common in children, impacting both acute and chronic conditions.
- Advances in diagnostics and therapy can significantly improve outcomes for pediatric pulmonary diseases.
- Understanding recent developments is crucial for managing childhood lung diseases.
Purpose:
- To review and evaluate significant lung diseases in children.
- To incorporate recent advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric lung conditions.
- To highlight the role of pediatric pulmonology in clinical practice.
Summary:
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood mortality globally; while antibiotics help, complications like empyema remain challenging.
- Asthma is the most common chronic pediatric disease in Germany, manageable with anti-inflammatory inhalation therapy.
- Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common fatal inherited Caucasian disease, with early-onset obstructive lung disease causing most morbidity and mortality; mutation-specific therapies offer individualized treatment.
Impact:
- Continuous improvement in diagnostics and therapy is essential for better management of pediatric lung diseases.
- Pediatric pulmonology facilitates the integration of scientific progress into clinical practice.
- Enhanced understanding and treatment strategies will improve the prognosis for children with acute and chronic lung conditions.
Background:
Lung diseases belong to the most common acute and chronic childhood diseases. With specific diagnostics and therapy the outcome of many congenital and acquired pulmonary diseases in children and adults can be substantially improved.
Objective:
The aim of this review is the presentation and evaluation of important lung diseases in children taking recent developments into consideration.
Material And Methods:
This article presents a review of the literature on selected acute and chronic lung diseases in children and adolescents.
Results:
Acute pneumonia remains one of the most frequent causes of mortality in children worldwide. Antibiotic treatment has reduced the morbidity and mortality in Western industrialized countries; however, the treatment of complications, such as pleural empyema and lung abscesses remains challenging. With a prevalence of 10 %, asthma has evolved into the most common chronic disease in children and adolescents in Germany. Using anti-inflammatory inhalation therapy, effective control of asthma symptoms can be achieved in most patients. Cystic fibrosis (CF) remains the most common fatal inherited disease among Caucasians. More than 90 % of the mortality and morbidity of CF are caused by an early onset and progressive chronic obstructive lung disease. Approval of the first causal mutation-specific pharmacotherapy for a subgroup of patients with CF represents a milestone in individualized therapy of lung diseases. The pathogenesis of other rare chronic lung diseases including interstitial lung diseases (ILD) is still mostly unknown.
Conclusion:
Continuous improvement in the diagnostics and therapy is crucial to further improve the management and outcome of acute and chronic lung diseases in children. Pediatric pulmonology, as an interdisciplinary subspecialty at the interface of pediatrics, pulmonology and infectious diseases, plays a key role in the translation of scientific progress into clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
Other Pulmonary Disorders
Pulmonary Cycle: Exhalation
Common Respiratory Disorders
Upper respiratory disorders impact the airways above the vocal cords, encompassing areas like the nose, sinuses, and throat. Various conditions fall under this category, including the common cold and allergic rhinitis. These disorders can stem from several causes,...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:
Breathing
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation

