Getting to the root of ongoing breathing and congestion problems: At the Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine Program, we have extensive experience with a wide variety of breathing and nasal issues. Our team can help you determine the cause of your child’s ongoing respiratory difficulties, including:

Allergy care: If your child has suspected allergies, we can:

  • Perform a skin test to determine what your child is allergic to in the environment (also known as allergens)

  • Tailor your child’s treatment based on age and the severity of the allergy, among other factors — including your and your child’s preferences

  • Provide allergy shots, a form of immunotherapy that helps your body decrease its response to allergens  

Education for care at home: With respiratory issues, many of the difficulties children endure require extensive treatment at home as well as at the doctor’s office. That’s why our team focuses on:

  • Educating you about home care — including home ventilator management — and how to monitor your child’s progress.

  • Collaborating with other specialists throughout the hospital, including social workers, child life specialists and physical therapists, to provide additional education and assistance.

Lung function testing: To accurately diagnose your child’s respiratory issues, our program uses a Pulmonary Function Laboratory. Also referred to as lung function testing, this lab looks at all aspects of how your child’s lungs are working, including airflow and muscle strength.  

Leaders in treating childhood asthma: Our team focuses on helping you and your child control asthma. Our goal is for your child to have no signs of asthma, be able to play and exercise like other children and be able to sleep through the night — among other achievements of asthma control.

Our team works with you and your child to:

  • Create an asthma-action plan

  • Learn how to avoid your child’s asthma triggers

Leaders in cystic fibrosis care: The Cystic Fibrosis Center has extensive experience treating cystic fibrosis, seeing more than 500 patients in a year and following more than 230 adults and children on a regular basis for continued care. The center uses a team approach, collaborating with:

Pediatric lung transplant program: Since 1990, the pediatric lung transplant program has performed more than 400 lung transplants, most commonly to address cystic fibrosis and pulmonary vascular disease. This experience makes the program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital one of the largest lung transplant programs in the world.

Specially trained respiratory therapists: Supporting the largest pediatric lung transplant program in the world, our respiratory therapists:

  • Manage ventilators for both the pediatric and neonatal population

  • Treat children before and after transplantation

  • Support treatment for conditions that affect breathing, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital heart and lung disease, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Pediatric sleep studies: If your child experiences sleep apnea, our team can coordinate additional care with our Pediatric Sleep Center for a sleep study. These studies allow sleep specialists to monitor children while they sleep to gain a better understanding of the issues affecting their sleep. Sleep specialists are specially trained to calm any fears children may have about the study or sleeping away from home.

Immunodeficiencies: We take a team approach to treating children with immunodeficiencies — such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) — or with suspected immunologic disorders. Our immunodeficiency team:

  • Quickly evaluates infants with abnormal newborn screening results so treatment can begin immediately

  • Collaborates with clinicians in rheumatology; hematology and oncology; infectious diseases; and bone marrow transplant

  • Coordinates all needed referrals

  • Informs you of any relevant clinical trial opportunities