Chronic Lung Disease in Children: disease focused use of lung function

Chronic respiratory illnesses cause a significant burden on health and premature death worldwide. Optimising respiratory health in early life and even antenatally has emerged as critical to address this. Physiological measures of lung function are available and feasible even in young children. This paper reviewed the recent findings of existing and emergent lung function tests in the assessment of childhood chronic lung disease, with a focus on high burden respiratory diseases. Emergent lung function techniques applicable to pre-school children and useful in detecting lung disease are available. Lung function impairments are variable even within specific diseases, reflecting the heterogeneity and continuum of disease related pathophysiology. Spirometry is limited used alone, consideration should be given to using more comprehensive tools. Further research to assess the ability of current and emerging tests to diagnose and manage lung disease in children and young people and a more nuanced, disease specific approach is needed.