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IntroductionNon-invasive measurement of respiratory impedance by oscillometry can be used in young children from 3 years and those unable to perform forced respiratory manoeuvres. It can discriminate between healthy children and those with respiratory disease. However, its clinical application is limited by the lack of reference data for African paediatric populations.AimTo develop reference equations for oscillometry outcomes in South African children and adolescents.MethodsHealthy subjects, enrolled in the Drakenstein Child Health Study, HIV uninfected adolescents in the Cape Town Adolescent Antiretroviral Cohort and healthy children attending surgical outpatient clinics at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital were measured with conventional spectral (6–32 Hz) and intra-breath (10 Hz) oscillometry. Stepwise linear regression was used to assess the relationship between respiratory variables and anthropometric predictors (height, sex, ancestry) to generate reference equations.ResultsA total of 692 subjects, 48.4% female, median age of 5.2 years (range: 3–17 years) were included. The median interquartile range (IQR) for weight for age z-score and height for age z-score was −0.42 (−1.11; 0.35) and −0.65 (−1.43; 0.35), respectively. Stepwise regression demonstrated that all the variables were significantly dependent on height only. Comparison to previous reference data indicated slightly higher resistance and lower compliance values in the smallest children.ConclusionWe established the first respiratory oscillometry reference equations for African children and adolescents, which will facilitate use in early identification and management of respiratory disease. Our results suggest differences in oscillometry measures by ancestry but also highlight the lack of standardisation in methodology.

This review has been prepared by the Early Career Members and Chairs of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Assembly 7: Paediatrics. We here summarise the highlights of the advances in paediatric respiratory research presented at the ERS International Congress 2022. The eight scientific groups of this Assembly cover a wide range of research areas, including 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 developmental biology. Specifically, we report on abstracts presented at the congress on the effect of high altitude on sleep, sleep disorders, the hypoxic challenge test, and measurements of ventilation inhomogeneity. We discuss prevention of preschool wheeze and asthma, and new asthma medications. In children with CF, we describe how to monitor the effect of CF transmembrane conductance regulator modulator therapy. We present respiratory manifestations and chronic lung disease associated with common variable immunodeficiency. Furthermore, we discuss how to monitor respiratory function in neonatal and paediatric intensive care units. In respiratory epidemiology, we present the latest news from population-based and clinical cohort studies. We also focus on innovative and interventional procedures for the paediatric airway, such as cryotherapy. Finally, we stress the importance of better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal lung development.