Croup usually starts with a 'cold' Children with croup usually have an illness like a cold first - a runny nose, cough and slight temperature. Then the child wakes during the night with a barking cough and difficulty breathing. This can last a couple of hours and reappear for the next couple of nights.
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.
Croup often begins as an ordinary cold. If there's enough swelling, irritation and coughing, a child can develop: Loud barking cough that's made worse by crying and coughing, as well as anxiety and distress, setting up a cycle of worsening symptoms. Fever.
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. A child who has a lot of breathing problems may need to go to the hospital. Correct handwashing is one way to prevent croup.
Croup may appear after your child has had a cold for several days. Croup is usually caused by a virus and may last several days. Sometimes croup comes on suddenly in the middle of the night. It may occur more than one time in a child's life.
Call Your Doctor If:
Croupy cough lasts more than 14 days. You think your child needs to be seen. Your child becomes worse.
Mild croup – Mild croup can usually be treated at home. Home treatment includes using mist from a humidifier or by sitting with the child in a bathroom filled with steam generated by running hot water from the shower. Hot steam humidifiers should be avoided because of the risk of burns.
Allergies (food, environment): Symptoms – coughing, wheezing and stridor – can be mistaken for croup. Asthma: The wheezing can be confused for croup. Foreign bodies: Young children tend to put things in their mouths, so it's important to make sure there isn't an object obstructing their airway.
Usually after two or three days, the cough will change from a hard, harsh, barky, dry cough into a congested cough, which typically lasts another few days. Sometimes croup can cause episodes of severe coughing followed by vomiting. The symptoms are almost always worse at night.
Croup will likely clear up on its own within about five or six days, depending on the severity of the infection.
2. How long does Croup last? - Croup often runs its course within 3 to 4 days. Your child's cough may improve during the day, but don't be surprised if it returns at night. You may want to sleep near your child or even in the same room so that you can take quick action if your child's symptoms become severe.
The inflammation is caused by a virus. Croup symptoms generally peak 2 to 3 days after the symptoms of the viral infection begin and typically last 3 to 7 days. Symptoms are worse at night and when the child is excited, exercising or crying.
Most children with mild croup symptoms can be successfully treated at home by their caregivers. Cool mist from a humidifier and/or sitting with the child in a bathroom (not in the shower) filled with steam generated by running hot water from the shower, help minimize symptoms.
Croup is spread through direct contact with a person, or fluids from another person who has the disease. The infection starts in the nose and throat and moves into the lungs. Swelling affects the area around the voice box (larynx) and into the windpipe (trachea).
Check if your child has croup
These are the symptoms of croup: a barking cough that sounds like a seal (you can search online to hear examples) a hoarse voice. difficulty breathing.
Croup usually starts with a 'cold'
Children with croup usually have an illness like a cold first - a runny nose, cough and slight temperature. Then the child wakes during the night with a barking cough and difficulty breathing. This can last a couple of hours and reappear for the next couple of nights.
It may take up to 10 days after exposure for early symptoms to develop and several days later for the cough to occur. From shortly before symptoms begin and for as long as the acute symptoms last.
What Can I Do About Croup? Run a hot shower to create a steam-filled bathroom where you can sit with your child for 20 minutes. Take your child outside during cooler months for a few minutes. This may help breathing.
If your child has a cough that sounds like a barking seal, he or she may have croup. A common illness in young children, croup causes swelling of the voice box and windpipe. The swelling makes breathing noisy and difficult, and it can be scary for parents and children.
The two diseases can be distinguished based on how long they last: Croup usually lasts for about two weeks, but can last up to three weeks if it's untreated. Whooping cough usually lasts for no more than three months total (although it can be as short as one month).
One of the best things to do when you're at home is get the shower all steamed up and get your child in the bathroom, because warm, moist air seems to work best to relax the vocal cords and break the stridor. A humidifier, not a hot vaporizer, but a cool mist humidifier also will help with getting the swelling down.
There is no medicine that will get rid of the virus, but you can do some things to help your child breathe easier until the infection goes away. Stay calm and try to keep your child calm. Crying and tension can trigger coughing. Offer fluids to keep him hydrated.
Most cases of croup clear up within 48 hours. However, in some cases symptoms can last for up to two weeks. It is extremely rare for a child to die from croup. There are a number of conditions that can follow croup, such as pneumonia and middle ear infection.
Children with mild croup usually improve in three to seven days. Croup can present with more severe symptoms and breathing issues that don't resolve with simple home measures. If you have concerns about your child's breathing, you should bring them for medical evaluation right away.