Interstitial lung diseases in children in the Astrakhan region

Background. Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) in children constitute a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by damage to the respiratory structures and interstitial tissue of various etiologies. Regardless of the causes, these diseases are characterized by impaired gas exchange, clinical signs of respiratory failure due to progressive fibrotic changes in the lung tissue, and impaired blood flow in the alveolar capillaries. Objective. Analysis of the spectrum of ILDs in children in the Astrakhan region according to the data of the Department of Pulmonology of the Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital n.a. N.N. Silishcheva. Methods. The data on the variability of the nosological forms of ILDs, the features of the clinical picture, approaches to therapy and outcomes of diseases in children treated at Department of Pulmonology of the Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital n.a. N.N. Silishcheva from 2019 to 2021 were analyzed. During the study period, 167 children with various forms of ILDs were treated and examined in the Department, namely: 146 children diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia at the stage of revision of the diagnosis due to age-related transformation, 9 patients with ILDs due to heart defects and chromosomal abnormalities, 10 patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis and 2patients with interstitial lung changes associated with an infectious process (post-COVID-19 syndrome). Results. For 2019-2021, 167 patients with various forms of ILDs underwent examination and treatment in the Department of Pulmonology of the Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital n.a. N.N. Silishcheva. It was found that out of 146 children diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, 14 had a mild form, 72 had a moderate form, and 60 had a severe form of pathology. Over the past period, hypersensitivity pneumonitis was diagnosed in 10 children. Of the 9 patients with ILDs due to heart defects and chromosomal abnormalities, there were 4 patients with Down syndrome and 5 children with congenital heart defects (ventricular and atrial septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, incomplete atrioventricular communication); in addition, there were 2 patients with ILDs associated with infectious process (post-COVID-19 syndrome). Conclusion. ILDs in the Astrakhan region are characterized by heterogeneity with the dominance of neonatal-specific forms. The incidence of diseases is significantly inferior to that in European countries.

interstitial lung disease, obliterative bronchiolitis, impaired lung tissue growth, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, post-COVID-19 syndrome