Introducing Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology

Abstract

Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology is now Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology. Welcome to our first issue under our new name! The name change makes explicit the tradition of Pediatric Asthma, Allergy, & Immunology of publishing articles relevant to both allergy/immunology and pulmonology. Bringing together pediatric allergy/immunology and pulmonology is highly relevant. There are many areas—such as asthma—where allergy/immunology and pulmonology overlap. There are many other areas where understanding of the allergy, immunology, and pulmonology leads to a more complete understanding of the disease process. This journal will provide comprehensive coverage to further the understanding, and optimize the treatment, of some of our most common and costly chronic illnesses in children. This journal will publish original translational, clinical, epidemiologic, public health, and quality improvement research, reviews, and commentaries. Interviews with leading scientists will describe our current history. Periodic themed issues or sections will review rapidly changing and/or under-recognized areas. Roundtable discussions will elucidate current expert opinion and experience in evolving controversial areas of clinical management of pulmonary, allergic, and immunologic diseases of childhood. This issue is a special issue on children's interstitial lung disease (also called diffuse lung disease, as it often involves more than just the interstitium). We are dedicating this issue to Dr. Bettina Hilman, who served as editor for this journal from 1999 to 2009. As Dr. Hilman pointed out years ago, children's interstitial lung disease may not simply be a smaller version of adult interstitial lung disease.1 The rapid evolution of the field of interstitial lung disease of children bears this out. New forms of interstitial lung disease have been identified in children that have not been previously recognized in adults. Other interstitial lung diseases have been found to have a different prognosis and/or course in children as compared with adults. Interstitial lung diseases are one of many disease processes that cross the lines between pulmonology, allergy, and immunology. Etiologies may be genetic (such as surfactant protein abnormalities), allergic (such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis), and/or immunologic (such as lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis). I feel privileged to bring this collection of articles together in this journal. I am particularly grateful to the guest editors, Robin Deterding and Leland Fan, whose insight, vision, and willingness to take on yet another project made this issue possible. I am grateful to the authors who have developed this field and contributed such excellent reviews. I look forward to the contributions that this journal can make to the fields of pediatric allergy, immunology, and pulmonology.