What are the symptoms of chILD?

Because there are so many forms of chILD, your child may have all or some of the following possible symptoms:

• Fast breathing
• Increased work of breathing including the use of “helper” or accessory muscles of respirations (retractions), grunting while breathing, or flaring out of the nostrils.
• Abnormal chest X-rays or CT scans
• Low oxygen levels sometimes needing administration of oxygen
• Failure to gain weight and/or height (also known as failure to thrive)
• Persistent abnormal sounds when listening to the lungs
• Recurrent pneumonia, bronchitis, or lower respiratory tract exacerbation
• Chronic or recurrent cough, wheezing, or chest congestion

Children with enough of these symptoms should have further tests to determine if they have chILD and to determine the specific form of chILD. The best way to do this is to work closely with pulmonary doctors.