Copyright #ERS Journals Ltd 2004 Eur Respir J 2004; 24: 686–697 European Respiratory Journal DOI: 10.1183/09031936.04.00089803 ISSN 0903-1936 Printed in UK – all rights reserved ERS TASK FORCE Task force on chronic interstitial lung disease in immunocompetent children A. Clement*, and committee members Committee members: J. Allen, B. Corrin, R. Dinwiddie, H. Ducou le Pointe, E. Eber, G. Laurent, R. Marshall, F. Midulla, A.G. Nicholson, P. Pohunek, F. Ratjen, M. Spiteri, J. de Blic. All members of the Task Force contributed equally to the work. Task force on chronic interstitial lung disease in immunocompetent children. Correspondence: A. Clement, Dept de Pneumo- A. Clement, and committee members. #ERS Journals Ltd 2004. logie Pediatrique - INSERM E213, Hopital ABSTRACT: Chronic interstitial lung diseases in children represent a heterogeneous d9enfants Armand Trousseau, 26 Ave du group of disorders of both known and unknown causes that share common histological Dr Arnold Netter, 75571 Paris cedex 12, France. features. Despite many efforts these diseases continue to present clinical management Fax: 33 144736718 dilemmas, principally because of their rare frequency that limits considerably the E-mail:
[email protected] possibilities of collecting enough cases for clinical and research studies. Through a Task Force conducted by the European Respiratory Society, which Keywords: Children, infant, interstitial lung comprised respiratory physicians and basic scientists from across Europe, 185 cases of disease, lung fibrosis interstitial lung diseases in immunocompetent children were collected and reviewed. The present report provides important clinically-relevant information on the current Received: August 5 2003 approach to diagnosis and management of chronic interstitial lung diseases in children.