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The airway of a child can be easily obstructed because of its small size and there are myriad conditions that may obstruct it. Though asthma is the most common condition causing reversible obstruction of the airway; there are a large number of conditions which can obstruct the airway both reversibly and irreversibly. These asthma mimics can present as clinical problems from the neonatal period through adolescence. This article presents an overview of the clinical situations that must be kept in mind when the child presents with subtly unusual clinical features or a deviant course. This is followed by a brief description of the common mimickers along with clinical clues to their diagnosis. Clinicians will need a high index of suspicion for diagnosing these conditions. Prompt recognition and optimal case management and referral will ensure the best outcomes in these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease (ChILD) is relatively young. There has been tremendous progress in this field in the last decade. The key advance has been the recognition of interstitial lung diseases that are often distinct and occur mainly in infants. Diagnosis is challenging because the incidence is low and no single center in the world has enough cases to promote experience and clinical skills. This has led to formation of international groups of people interested in the field and the "Children's interstitial and diffuse lung disease research network" (ChILDRN) is one such group which contributed to the progress of this field. Clinically, these disorders overlap with those of other common respiratory disorders. Hence, clinical practice guidelines emphasize the additional role of chest imaging, genetic testing and lung biopsy in the diagnostic evaluation. Genetic testing, in particular, has shown tremendous progress in this field. Being noninvasive, it has the potential to help early recognition in a vast majority. Despite progress, definitive therapeutic modalities are still lacking and supportive care is still the backbone of management in the majority. Early recognition of the definitive diagnosis helps in the management, even if, in a significant number, it helps in avoiding unnecessary therapy. Also discussed in this article, is the pulmonary manifestation of rheumatic diseases in children. The incidence and spectrum of pulmonary involvement in rheumatic conditions vary and can be result of the primary disease or its management or due to an concurrent infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]