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Background: Various trajectories for lung function and bronchial hyper‐reactivity (BHR) from early childhood to adulthood are described, including puberty as a period with excessive lung growth. Bronchiolitis in infancy may be associated with increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but the development of respiratory patterns during puberty is poorly characterized for these children. We aimed to study the development and trajectories of lung function and BHR from 11 to 18 years of age in children hospitalized for bronchiolitis in infancy. Methods: Infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis at the University Hospitals in Stavanger and Bergen, Norway, during 1997‐1998, and an age‐matched control group, were included in a longitudinal follow‐up study and examined at 11 and 18 years of age with spirometry and methacholine provocation test (MPT). The MPT data were managed as dose‐response slope (DRS) in the statistical analyses. Changes in lung function and DRS from 11 to 18 years of age were analyzed by generalized estimating equations, including interaction terms. Results: z‐scores for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, and DRS were not different from 11 to 18 years of age in both the post‐bronchiolitis and the control group. The trajectories from 11 to 18 years did not differ between the two groups. BHR at age 11 was independently associated with asthma at age 18. Conclusion: Children hospitalized for bronchiolitis had stable predicted lung function and BHR from 11 to 18 years of age. The lung function trajectories were not different from controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This clinical review article aims to describe symptoms and findings in cases of paediatric tracheobronchomalacia to help achieve the correct diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms and signs vary from reduced physical stamina, barking cough, productive cough and gurgling to obstructive episodes or episodes with stridor, which in some cases can be life-threatening. The range of symptoms overlaps with other pulmonary diseases, such as asthma, which increases the risk of misdiagnosis and treatment error. Bronchoscopy is the main diagnostic tool but is resource intensive.

Introduction: Variable airflow obstruction that can be confirmed by diurnal variability of peak expiratory flow (PEF) >13% is an important characteristic of asthma. Home monitoring of PEF may be helpful to diagnose and monitor asthma. In this feasibility study, we aimed to study if asthmatic children can measure PEF at home twice daily during a 4-week period using a device designed as a "whistle" and a smart phone software application. Materials and Methods: Twice daily during 4 weeks, children aged 5-12 years with current asthma rated their asthma condition electronically on the smart phone application Blowfish before inhaling deeply then exhaling into the device to produce a high-pitched sound recorded by the application. Through mathematical algorithms, the sound was transferred to PEF, which was uploaded to a server. At inclusion, the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Childhood Asthma Control Test were answered. At the end, the parents graded the device and application. Results: One child did not manage to upload PEF. For the remaining 21 children, the median (quartiles) days with at least one measurement during the period were 27 (21-29.5), and on median 18 (9-24) days PEF was recorded twice daily. The median parental score (potential score 0-20) of the application was 18 (15-20). Discussion/Conclusion: The study shows promising results for home monitoring of PEF by an electronic device with automatic teletransmission. The high rate of successful recordings and parental satisfaction suggests that the clinical utility of the solution should be further studied.

Protracted bacterial bronchitis is a common cause of persistent, wet cough in pre-school children. The condition has been described relatively recently, and knowledge of the diagnosis may be an aid to making the correct assessment of children with chronic cough, helping to ensure that the symptoms are not misinterpreted and treated as asthma.