Support for parents + carers

Are you a parent of a child with asthma? Our pages are full of tips from other parents and advice from healthcare professionals based on the latest research.

If your child is having difficulty breathing, it can be very worrying. This information tells you what signs and symptoms to look out for, what they mean, what you can do about them, and when you should ask for help.

Find out what coughing and wheezing in your baby or child might mean, how it is different to asthma, and how you can help your child.

Find out how lungs develop in the womb and how they continue to grow after birth and through childhood.

Find out about early risks to your child’s lungs, the dangers of passive smoking and air pollution, as well as how you can reduce the risks.

RSV is a common virus that spreads from October to March each year in the UK. It mostly affects babies and older adults.

Bronchiolitis is a viral chest infection that affects babies and children under two years old. Find out about symptoms, diagnosis, management and prevention.

Bronchiectasis can happen if your child’s airways have got wider and thicker because of damage or scarring.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited condition affecting the lungs and digestive system. It is most often diagnosed in newborn babies.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) can affect babies born prematurely, whose lungs have not developed fully in the womb.

Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs. It can affect people of any age, but babies and young children are at higher risk because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.

This page explains the common causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Pectus carinatum (pigeon chest).

This page has information on pectus excavatum. Some people know this condition as ‘funnel chest’. Here we explain what pectus excavatum is, the symptoms, and how it can be treated.

Children’s interstitial lung disease (chILD for short) is the name for a group of rare lung conditions in children.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare inherited condition. Our information explains what PCD is, the signs and symptoms, how PCD is diagnosed, and how it’s treated.

If your child has been born with a congenital lung abnormality, or if a lung abnormality such as congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) has been found on a scan, you may have lots of questions.

An eosinophil is a type of white blood cell. A build-up of eosinophils in the lung can make it hard to breathe.

A pneumothorax happens when air leaks out of the lung. This page has information for parents and carers on pneumothorax in children.

Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lungs.

On this page, we have information for parents and carers of children who have been diagnosed with pulmonary vasculitis.

Pulmonary haemorrhage is when blood leaks from blood vessels in the windpipe or airways into the main lung.

Sarcoidosis is a condition which is very rare in children, where collections of tissue form lumps, called granulomas, in organs such as the lungs and skin.

This page has information for parents and carers of children with bronchiolitis obliterans. We explain what bronchiolitis obliterans is, how it’s treated and diagnosed, and where to find more support.