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Owing to their greater outdoor activity and ongoing lung development, children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). However, the effects of PM2.5 components are poorly understood. This study aimed to use a longitudinal birth cohort of children with physician-diagnosed incident asthma to investigate the effect of PM2.5 components at birth on morbidity measured by health services utilization. Of 1277 Toronto Child Health Evaluation Questionnaire (T-CHEQ) participants, the study population included 362 children diagnosed with asthma who were followed for a mean of 13 years from birth until March 31, 2016, or loss-to-follow-up. Concentrations of PM2.5 and its components were assigned based on participants’ postal codes at birth. Study outcomes included counts of asthma, asthma-related, and all-cause health services use. Poisson regression in single-, two-, and multi-pollutant models was used to estimate rate ratios (RR) per interquartile range (IQR) increase of exposures. Covariates were included in all models to further adjust for potential confounding. The adjusted RR for sulfate (SO4) and all-cause hospitalizations was statistically significant with RR = 2.23 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25–3.96) in a multi-pollutant model with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). In multi-pollutant models with oxidants, the adjusted RRs for SO4 of all-cause hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits were also statistically significant with RR = 2.31 (95% CI: 1.32–4.03) and RR = 1.39 (95% CI: 1.02–1.90), respectively. While unadjusted single-pollutant RRs for asthma-specific and asthma-related health services use with the SO4 component of PM2.5 were above one, none were statistically significant. This study found significant associations with exposure to SO4 in PM2.5 and all-cause acute care, chiefly for hospitalizations, in children with asthma.

There is growing recognition and understanding of the entities that cause interstitial lung disease (ILD) in infants. These entities are distinct from those that cause ILD in older children and adults.A multidisciplinary panel was convened to develop evidence-based guidelines on the classification, diagnosis, and management of ILD in children, focusing on neonates and infants under 2 years of age. Recommendations were formulated using a systematic approach. Outcomes considered important included the accuracy of the diagnostic evaluation, complications of delayed or incorrect diagnosis, psychosocial complications affecting the patient's or family's quality of life, and death.No controlled clinical trials were identified. Therefore, observational evidence and clinical experience informed judgments. These guidelines: (1) describe the clinical characteristics of neonates and infants (2 yr of age) with diffuse lung disease (DLD); (2) list the common causes of DLD that should be eliminated during the evaluation of neonates and infants with DLD; (3) recommend methods for further clinical investigation of the remaining infants, who are regarded as having "childhood ILD syndrome"; (4) describe a new pathologic classification scheme of DLD in infants; (5) outline supportive and continuing care; and (6) suggest areas for future research.After common causes of DLD are excluded, neonates and infants with childhood ILD syndrome should be evaluated by a knowledgeable subspecialist. The evaluation may include echocardiography, controlled ventilation high-resolution computed tomography, infant pulmonary function testing, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage, genetic testing, and/or lung biopsy. Preventive care, family education, and support are essential.

Children's Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Disease (chILD) is a heterogeneous group of disorders that is challenging to categorize. In previous study, a classification scheme was successfully applied to children 0 to 2 years of age who underwent lung biopsies for chILD. This classification scheme has not been evaluated in children 2 to 18 years of age.This multicenter interdisciplinary study sought to describe the spectrum of biopsy-proven chILD in North America and to apply a previously reported classification scheme in children 2 to 18 years of age. Mortality and risk factors for mortality were also assessed.Patients 2 to 18 years of age who underwent lung biopsies for diffuse lung disease from 12 North American institutions were included. Demographic and clinical data were collected and described. The lung biopsies were reviewed by pediatric lung pathologists with expertise in diffuse lung disease and were classified by the chILD classification scheme. Logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for mortality.A total of 191 cases were included in the final analysis. Number of biopsies varied by center (5-49 biopsies; mean, 15.8) and by age (2-18 yr; mean, 10.6 yr). The most common classification category in this cohort was Disorders of the Immunocompromised Host (40.8%), and the least common was Disorders of Infancy (4.7%). Immunocompromised patients suffered the highest mortality (52.8%). Additional associations with mortality included mechanical ventilation, worse clinical status at time of biopsy, tachypnea, hemoptysis, and crackles. Pulmonary hypertension was found to be a risk factor for mortality but only in the immunocompetent patients.In patients 2 to 18 years of age who underwent lung biopsies for diffuse lung disease, there were far fewer diagnoses prevalent in infancy and more overlap with adult diagnoses. Immunocompromised patients with diffuse lung disease who underwent lung biopsies had less than 50% survival at time of last follow-up.