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1Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Rainbow Children's Hospital, Marathahalli, Bangalore, 560037, Karnataka, India, samatha.sonnappa@rainbowhospitals.in.
Insights
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are crucial for managing pediatric respiratory diseases, offering objective measures for diagnosis and treatment monitoring. This review details available PFTs to aid clinicians in diagnosing and managing lung conditions in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Pulmonary function assessment is vital for managing pediatric respiratory diseases.
- Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are increasingly used in younger children in specialized settings.
- Accurate PFTs provide objective data for clinical management, prognosis, and research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of available pulmonary function tests (PFTs) for children.
- To assist clinicians in the diagnosis and management of pediatric respiratory disorders.
- To highlight the role of PFTs in guiding treatment and monitoring disease progression.
Main Methods:
- Review of currently available pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in pediatric populations.
- Focus on spirometry and tests assessing airway caliber and function.
- Discussion of PFT application in different pediatric age groups.
Main Results:
- PFTs offer objective outcome measures for guiding management and monitoring disease.
- Spirometry is a widely used and valuable tool, especially for conditions affecting airway function.
- PFTs are rarely diagnostic alone but are crucial adjuncts in diagnosing and managing respiratory diseases.
Conclusions:
- Pulmonary function tests are essential for the clinical management of children with respiratory diseases.
- Spirometry should be a standard assessment for school-aged children with chronic respiratory symptoms.
- Understanding PFTs aids in accurate diagnosis, treatment selection, and prognosis in pediatric pulmonology.
Abstract:
Pulmonary function assessment plays an integral part in the clinical management of school-aged children with respiratory disease. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are being increasingly applied in infants and preschool children too, albeit only in specialised centres. PFTs, when performed and interpreted accurately, provide objective outcome measures which can be used clinically to guide management, for prognostic purposes and in epidemiological research studies. They can be used to determine the nature and severity of lung disease, to ascertain response to treatment and to monitor disease progression. PFTs are rarely diagnostic in their own right with the exception of asthma, but are valuable adjuncts and before clinicians select a PFT they must know what the results are likely to be in the disease being considered. Spirometry and tests of airway calibre and function are the most widely used PFTs, as diseases in children commonly affect airway function. As such, spirometry should be a standard part of the assessment of school-age children who present to the pediatrician with chronic respiratory symptoms. This review will provide a bird's eye view of currently available PFTs in children to assist in the diagnosis and management of respiratory disorders.
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