Paediatric respiratory reviews
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Sep 2008
ReviewEarly detection of lung disease in children with cystic fibrosis using lung function.
Measurement of lung function is routine in older children and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) but not in infants and preschool children. Pulmonary infection, neutrophil-dominated inflammation and clinical exacerbations in young children similar to those seen in older subjects have been identified and highlight the urgent need to evaluate lung function in early life. ⋯ In addition, the majority of studies in young children with CF have not reported longitudinal data and therefore the prognostic potential of existing lung function methods to track disease progression is poorly understood. This review aims to describe recent research findings in infants and preschool children and to outline currently available lung function techniques, issues around their standardization and their relative advantages and disadvantages in young children with CF.