Croup usually begins like a normal cold, e.g. fever, runny nose and cough. Your child's cough will change to become harsh and barking, and might sound like a seal. Your child's voice may be hoarse. When your child breathes in, they may make a squeaky, high pitched noise, which is called stridor.
Croup is usually caused by a viral infection, most often a parainfluenza virus. Your child may get a virus by breathing infected respiratory droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. Virus particles in these droplets may also survive on toys and other surfaces.
Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your child's lips or face turns bluish, if he is working hard to breathe, cannot speak or drink, or is drooling.
Diagnosis of croup is based on clinical findings of barking cough, stridor, and hoarseness. Diagnostic testing is typically not necessary. Humidified air inhalation does not improve symptoms in patients with moderate croup. Corticosteroids should be administered to patients with croup of any severity.
Epiglottitis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection, often masquerades as the more common and less severe viral illness croup.
Is croup contagious? The viruses that cause croup are contagious, but the barking cough and stridor symptoms aren't necessarily catching. "Kids with croup are considered contagious for three days after the illness or until the fever is gone," Kirkham said.
Antibiotics do not play a role in treating croup because croup is caused by viruses and antibiotics do not treat viruses. Cough medicines and decongestants have not been proven to be helpful, and sedatives can mask symptoms of low blood oxygen and difficulty breathing.
Breathing in moist air can effectively help you or your child unclog the upper respiratory as well as cure your breathing problems. If you need the immediate treatment, you can inhale the hot water from your sink in your bathroom so that your nose can be unblocked and you might breathe more easily.
What do I do if my child has croup? Remain calm and try to keep your child calm, as crying can make their cough and symptoms worse. Give your child paracetamol and/or ibuprofen to help with symptoms.
Croup often begins without warning, in the middle of the night. The symptoms are often worse at night, and are at their worst on the second or third night of the illness. The signs and symptoms of croup may last for three to four days; however, a cough may linger for up to three weeks.
You can treat mild croup at home if your child has no breathing problems or noisy breathing when they are not crying. Comforting your child, offering fluids and Panadol or Nurofen may help.
Spasmodic croup
It can be scary because it comes on suddenly, often in the middle of the night. Your child may go to bed well and wake up in a few hours, gasping for breath. They will be hoarse and have stridor when they breathe in. They may also have a barky cough.
Croup usually affects young children aged between six months and three years, with most cases occurring in one-year-olds. However, croup can sometimes develop in babies as young as three months, and older children up to 15 years of age. Adults can also get croup but this is rare.
Croup can be mild in nature and may even resolve without medical attention; however, if left untreated, severe cases can eventually lead to respiratory failure.
If my child has croup, does that mean they also have COVID-19? It's possible. “While many viruses can cause croup, you should also consider the possibility that your child has COVID-19,” says Dr. Jonathan Mansbach, who is chief of Hospital Medicine at Boston Children's and oversaw the study.
Sometimes we will prescribe a steroid – either a shot or an oral medicine (dexamethasone or prednisone), and symptoms will improve and a severe attack will be averted. Other times we might assess and determine that a steroid is not necessary. Since a virus, not a bacterium, causes croup antibiotics will not help.
You can treat most croup at home. Remember that coughing up mucus is very important for protecting the lungs from pneumonia. Use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer in the bedroom if the air is dry. If your child develops coughing spasms, expose him or her to warm mist by going into a steamy bathroom for 20 minutes.
Sleep. Children with croup should be allowed to rest as much as possible because this helps their body to fight the viral infection that is responsible for causing croup.
Children with croup have trouble breathing because their small airways swell. Common symptoms include a barking cough, fever, runny nose, and high-pitched “creaking” or whistling sound (stridor) when breathing in. Most cases are mild and can be managed at home.
Croup or laryngotracheitis is common in children and rare in adults. Parainfluenza-1 is the most commonly identified organism in both children and adults.