Interstitial Lung Disease of Childhood
Also written as: chILD — Interstitial Lung Disease of Childhood
A heterogeneous group of diffuse parenchymal lung disorders in children characterised by impaired gas exchange, restrictive physiology, and diffuse infiltrates on imaging.
Full Definition
Interstitial lung disease of childhood (chILD) encompasses more than 200 distinct conditions affecting the lung parenchyma in paediatric patients, many of which are genetically and histologically distinct from adult interstitial lung disease. The chILD classification system, developed by the chILD Research Cooperative, categorises disorders by age of onset and underlying mechanism, including disorders of surfactant dysfunction, neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI), and pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis (PIG). Editors should note that 'chILD' uses a lowercase 'ch' followed by uppercase 'ILD' and is a recognised abbreviation in this speciality. The term 'ILD' alone, without the 'ch' qualifier, may imply adult-onset disease in mixed-audience publications.
Usage
Usage note: Preserve the mixed-case acronym 'chILD'; do not standardise to 'CHILD' or 'child'. Distinguish from adult ILD throughout any document.
In Context
- "The multidisciplinary team diagnosed the infant with interstitial lung disease of childhood following genetic testing that revealed an SP-C mutation." — Multidisciplinary team letter
- "Editors should preserve the unconventional capitalisation of 'chILD' as it is the accepted abbreviation within the subspecialty." — Editorial style note