Reviews

Taking young children on aeroplanes: what are the risks?

C Bossley, I M Balfour-Lynn

Department of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK

Ian M Balfour-Lynn, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, UK; i.balfourlynn@ic.ac.uk

Accepted 6 February 2008

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Over one billion people fly on commercial aeroplanes each year, and taking young children abroad on holiday is an expected part of modern life in the United Kingdom. This article considers the issue of whether it is safe for infants and young children to fly, and reviews the hazards. It principally focuses on issues of hypoxia and respiratory disease but also reviews other areas (box 1). The British Thoracic Society 2004 guidelines¹ suggest that "it is prudent to wait for 1 week after birth before allowing infants to fly to ensure they are healthy", which is similar to the international Aerospace Medical Association, which suggests waiting 1 to 2 weeks after birth.²

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