Pediatrics
Pediatric Pulmonology
About this specialty
Pediatric Pulmonology is the medical specialty focused on lung and breathing problems in babies, children, and adolescents. Pediatric pulmonologists diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions affecting the airways, lungs, and breathing muscles in children.
What Pediatric Pulmonologists Do
Pediatric pulmonologists evaluate children with:
- Recurrent cough or wheezing
- Breathing difficulties
- Noisy breathing
- Recurrent chest infections
- Sleep-related breathing problems
They may perform lung function tests (spirometry), allergy and infection investigations, interpret chest X-rays and CT scans, manage asthma and complex lung diseases, and coordinate home care, oxygen therapy, or ventilation when required.
Common Conditions Treated
- Childhood asthma and recurrent wheezing
- Recurrent chest infections and pneumonia
- Chronic cough
- Bronchiolitis in infants
- Bronchiectasis
- Tuberculosis-related lung problems
- Congenital lung and airway malformations
- Aspiration and swallowing-related lung disease
- Obstructive sleep apnoea, including snoring with breathing pauses
- Cystic fibrosis and other rare genetic lung diseases
- Breathing problems associated with neuromuscular disorders
When to Visit a Pediatric Pulmonologist
Consider consulting a pediatric pulmonologist if your child has:
- Frequent or prolonged cough, particularly with chest symptoms
- Wheezing or noisy breathing
- Difficulty breathing during play or at night
- Repeated episodes of pneumonia
- Poor weight gain associated with chronic cough
- Long-standing night-time cough
- Snoring with pauses in breathing
- Persistent cough following tuberculosis treatment
- Suspected asthma or another long-term lung condition
Diagnostic and Treatment Methods
Depending on the child's symptoms and condition, evaluation and treatment may include:
- Detailed medical history, including symptoms, triggers, environmental exposures, and family history of allergies or asthma
- Physical examination, including growth and chest assessment
- Spirometry and other lung function tests in older children
- Chest X-rays and CT scans when indicated
- Allergy testing
- Sputum or other samples for infection testing, including tuberculosis tests
- Bronchoscopy in selected cases to examine the airways
- Asthma education and inhaler/spacer technique training
- Inhaled and oral medications
- Chest physiotherapy and airway-clearance techniques
- Individualized treatment plans for school, home, and physical activity
- Assessment and management of sleep-disordered breathing, including sleep studies and CPAP/BiPAP when needed
- Long-term follow-up for children with chronic lung diseases
Questions worth asking
Take these to your appointment.
- 1Is my child’s cough or wheeze due to asthma, infection, allergy or some structural lung problem, and how serious is it?
- 2What treatment plan do you recommend for my child at home and at school, and how should we use inhalers, spacers or nebulizers correctly?
- 3What changes should we make in our home and environment (dust, smoke, pets, infections) to reduce breathing problems?
- 4When should we be worried enough to bring the child urgently to hospital – what danger signs must we watch for?
- 5How often will my child need follow-up and lung function tests, and can they play sports or exercise safely with this condition?
Doctors in Pediatric Pulmonology
No doctors have been listed under this specialty yet.