ERS International Congress 2021: highlights from the Paediatric Assembly.

In this review, Early Career Members of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the Chairs of the ERS Assembly 7: Paediatrics present the highlights in paediatric respiratory medicine from the ERS International Congress 2021. The eight scientific Groups of this Assembly cover respiratory physiology and sleep, asthma and allergy, cystic fibrosis (CF), respiratory infection and immunology, neonatology and intensive care, respiratory epidemiology, bronchology, and lung and airway development. We here describe new developments in lung function testing and sleep-disordered breathing diagnosis, early life exposures affecting pulmonary function in children and effect of COVID-19 on sleep and lung function. In paediatric asthma, we present the important role of the exposome in asthma development, and how biologics can provide better outcomes. We discuss new methods to assess distal airways in children with CF, as some details remain blind when using the lung clearance index. Moreover, we summarise the new ERS guidelines for bronchiectasis management in children and adolescents. We present interventions to reduce morbidity and monitor pulmonary function in newborns at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and long-term chronic respiratory morbidity of this disease. In respiratory epidemiology, we characterise primary ciliary dyskinesia, identify early life determinants of respiratory health and describe the effect of COVID-19 preventive measures on respiratory symptoms. Also, we describe the epidemiology of interstitial lung diseases, possible consequences of tracheomalacia and a classification of diffuse alveolar haemorrhage in children. Finally, we highlight that the characterisation of genes and pathways involved in the development of a disease is essential to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

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Copyright ©The authors 2022.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Conflict of interest: C. Ardura-Garcia is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number 32003B_162820), support for attending meetings from the ERS, and is the Early Career Member Representative of the Paediatrics Assembly of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). S. Cuevas-Ocaña has received support for attending meetings from the ERS. M. Slaats received funding from Chiesi Pharmaceutical S.p.a. for his PhD studies. R.E. Morty has received grants or contracts from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Max Planck Society, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung; honoraria as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology; has a role as director of the International Graduate Programme, Molecular Biology and Medicine of the Lung, coordinator of the German Center for Lung Research Academy, Vice-Chair of the Gordon Conference of Lung Injury, Development, and Repair 2021, Chair of the Group 07.08 of the ERS, Chair of the Dept of Translational Pulmonology at the University Hospital Heidelberg. A. Moeller has received consulting fees from Vertex Inc., lecture fees from Vertex Inc. and Vifor Inc., has participated in the advisory board for Vertex Inc., and is the Secretary of the ERS Paediatric Assembly. M.W. Pijnenburg has received grants or contracts from Lung Foundation Netherlands and the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, consultation fees from Sanofi, honoraria as a speaker from Abbvie and Novartis, and support for attending meetings from the ERS. All other authors have nothing to disclose.