[Interstitial pneumonia in childhood: a clinical picture different from COPD]

Chronic respiratory symptoms in children are often caused by asthma. In this paper we present two children with chronic respiratory symptoms, which we first attributed to asthma. Since the presence of symptoms were not in agreement with asthma and because the children did not respond to asthma therapy, another cause of chronic lung disease was suspected. An open lung biopsy was performed. Histological diagnosis in both patients was an interstitial pneumonia. Differential diagnosis between interstitial pneumonia and asthma can be difficult, however there is a difference in symptomatology between these two diseases. Symptoms which may indicate the presence of another chronic lung disease than asthma are: absence of symptom-free periods, persistence of impaired exercise tolerance, hemoptysis, recurrent auscultation of crackles during symptomatic periods and digital clubbing.