DrNB · FNB
40 Paediatric Pulmonology Thesis Topics
Academic session 2026-2027 · 40 topics
This page lists 40 paediatric pulmonology thesis topics for DrNB and FNB candidates in India for the 2026-2027 academic session. Childhood respiratory disease in India is dominated by infection and by the consequences of household air pollution, and the specialty’s research reflects a caseload very different from that of higher income settings.
The paediatric pulmonology thesis topics below cover asthma and wheeze, pneumonia and acute lower respiratory infection, childhood tuberculosis, bronchiectasis and suppurative lung disease, sleep disordered breathing, chronic lung disease of prematurity, environmental exposure and lung function testing in children. Forty rather than fifty, since the specialty is narrow.
Click any topic to open it in the protocol generator with the title already filled in.
- A cross-sectional study of asthma control assessed by a validated instrument among children attending a chest clinicGet protocol
- An observational study of spirometric parameters and their reversibility in children with asthmaGet protocol
- A study of inhaler technique and its determinants among children with asthmaGet protocol
- An observational study of treatment adherence among children prescribed inhaled corticosteroidsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the triggers and seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation in childrenGet protocol
- A study of allergen sensitisation patterns among children with asthmaGet protocol
- An observational study of quality of life among children with asthma assessed by a validated questionnaireGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile of children admitted with acute severe asthmaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile and severity of children admitted with community acquired pneumoniaGet protocol
- An observational study of the aetiological profile of acute lower respiratory infection in childrenGet protocol
- Evaluation of clinical signs against chest radiography for the diagnosis of pneumonia in childrenGet protocol
- A study of the outcome and complications of children admitted with severe pneumoniaGet protocol
- An observational study of oxygen requirement and its duration in children with pneumoniaGet protocol
- A comparative study of clinical and radiological findings between bronchiolitis and bronchopneumoniaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile of infants admitted with bronchiolitisGet protocol
- A study of empyema and its management outcome in childrenGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical and radiological profile of children with tuberculosisGet protocol
- An observational study of the diagnostic yield of gastric aspirate and induced sputum in childhood tuberculosisGet protocol
- A study of treatment outcome among children registered for antitubercular therapyGet protocol
- An observational study of adverse drug reactions to antitubercular therapy in childrenGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the yield of contact screening among children exposed to adult tuberculosisGet protocol
- A study of the uptake of preventive therapy among eligible child contactsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the aetiology and clinical profile of children with bronchiectasisGet protocol
- An observational study of the microbiological profile of airway secretions in children with suppurative lung diseaseGet protocol
- A study of lung function and its progression in children with bronchiectasisGet protocol
- An observational study of the clinical profile of children with recurrent pneumoniaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the yield of immunological evaluation in children with recurrent respiratory infectionGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea assessed by a validated questionnaire in childrenGet protocol
- An observational study of polysomnographic findings in children with clinically suspected sleep apnoeaGet protocol
- A study of the association between adenotonsillar hypertrophy and sleep disordered breathing in childrenGet protocol
- An observational study of respiratory symptom resolution following adenotonsillectomy in children with sleep disordered breathingGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of respiratory outcomes in children born preterm with chronic lung diseaseGet protocol
- An observational study of lung function among children with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasiaGet protocol
- A study of respiratory morbidity during the first two years among preterm survivorsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of household air pollution exposure and respiratory symptoms in childrenGet protocol
- An observational study of passive smoking exposure and its association with respiratory illness in childrenGet protocol
- A study of respiratory symptoms among children living near a defined industrial areaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of spirometric reference values among healthy school-going childrenGet protocol
- An observational study of the acceptability and repeatability of spirometry in young childrenGet protocol
- A study of the diagnostic yield and complications of flexible bronchoscopy in childrenGet protocol
Choosing a Paediatric Pulmonology thesis topic
Can spirometry be performed reliably in children?
From about six years of age with proper coaching, yes, and it is the single most useful objective measure available to this specialty. Below that age, impulse oscillometry and clinical scoring are the alternatives where equipment permits. State the age range and the acceptability criteria applied in the protocol, since unacceptable manoeuvres are common in paediatric spirometry and must be excluded.
What makes childhood tuberculosis research difficult?
Bacteriological confirmation is achieved in a minority of children, because they rarely produce sputum and disease is paucibacillary. Most diagnoses are made on a composite of exposure history, symptoms, imaging and tuberculin testing. Any study in this area must state the case definition used explicitly, and studies of diagnostic yield with gastric aspirate or induced sputum are valuable precisely because confirmation is so difficult.
Why forty topics rather than fifty?
Paediatric pulmonology is offered at a small number of Indian centres and its caseload concentrates around asthma, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Forty distinct questions serves a candidate better than fifty with repetition, and the adjacent pages on paediatrics and respiratory medicine cover overlapping ground where more choice is needed.
Thesis and protocol questions
How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?
The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.
When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?
For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.
How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?
Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.
Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?
Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.
What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?
A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.
Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?
Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.