The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in infants and children represents a heterogeneous group of respiratory disorders that are mostly chronic and associated with high morbidity and mortality. Typical features of ILD include dyspnoea, the presence of diffuse infiltrates on chest radiographs and abnormal pulmonary function tests with evidence of a restrictive ventilatory defect (in older children) and/or impaired gas exchange. ⋯ However, this classification leaves the difficult problem of which clinical conditions should be included or excluded in infants and children. The present article reviews interstitial lung disease in infants and children, placing emphasis on current concepts of pathophysiological mechanisms and approaches to treatment.