Athens 2024 session spotlight: lung disease in children
The first abstract submission deadline of 8 January 2024 for the 12th IPCRG World conference in Athens is fast approaching. Make sure to put some time aside in the next few weeks to get your abstract in on time!
Registration for the conference is also open, and we are encouraging people to make their travel arrangements, apply for visas and obtain permission or funding from their organisation as early as possible. The conference is at the end of the Orthodox Easter, and flights will be popular. Booking your travel well in advance is advised to secure both your preferred connections and an affordable cost for your travel and accommodation, whether you are close or far away from Athens!
Each month we will highlight a session to give you a taste of what to expect from the conference programme. This month we are looking at the session on lung disease in children.
Lung disease in children
Preschool wheezing, a symptom that can herald the subsequent development of childhood asthma, is a common problem worldwide and frequent reason for primary care visits; approximately 50% of children will have at least one wheezing episode in their first 6 years of life, yet only 8% of children will develop asthma. Parents or caregivers of infants and young children with recurrent wheezing often ask "does my child have asthma?" This is a question that GPs involved in childcare would like to be able to answer.
Pediatric asthma remains a public health challenge with enormous impact worldwide and a leading cause of morbidity and school absenteeism worldwide. The session looks at the contributions of respiratory viral infections to patterns of immune development and the impact of environmental exposure on the severity of viral infections, to help understand how proper identification of infants and young children at increased risk to develop persistent asthma may help predict long-term outcomes and improve prevention and treatment.
We are delighted to welcome two expert speakers. Paraskeni Xepapadaki (Greece) is a paediatrician and allergologist at the University of Athens. Paraskeni will speak on childhood respiratory infections and their impact on development of asthma phenotypes, bringing both local and international expertise to the session.
Teresa To (Canada) will speak on tobacco use and respiratory illness in children and adolescents. Teresa is an epidemiologist and biostatistician and has developed a population-based research programme that focuses on childhood asthma. Teresa has a particular interest in e-cigarettes. In the United States, the prevalence of e-cigarette use is markedly higher among youths and young adults than it is among adults overall. Disposable e-cigarettes in youth-appealing flavours are now more commonly sold than prefilled units, so it is also important to focus on tobacco use and asthma in teens.
There will also be time for a questions with the experts. We look forward to a lively and thoughtful session!