Croup is a common childhood illness that causes swelling in the upper airway. This can cause a change in voice and characteristic “croupy” cough that sounds like a seal or bark. There are a number of viruses that have been found to cause croup, the most common being parainfluenza virus.
When the upper airway is infected with the virus that causes croup, tissues around the voice box (larynx) and the windpipe (trachea) will swell. When a cough forces air through this narrowed passageway, it may sound like a seal barking.
Call the doctor if your child: Gets worse. Has stridor constantly when resting. Is less than 1 year old with stridor or a croupy cough.
Croup cough
Croup is a viral infection that causes irritation and swelling in the upper airway, making it difficult to breathe. A croup cough has a distinctive “barking” sound and can cause a raspy voice and squeaky breathing. Croup usually affects children 5 and younger.
Both adults and children present with fever, “barking” cough, stridor, dyspnea, and hoarseness. Stridor and barking cough are due to inflammatory subglottic tracheal narrowing. Adult croup represents more severe disease requiring more aggressive management and longer duration of hospitalization.
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.
Most cases of croup clear up within 48 hours. However, in some cases symptoms can last for up to two weeks.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
What is croup? Croup is a viral respiratory infection of the upper airway, which causes swelling of the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea). The swelling causes a narrowing of the airway, which causes noisy breathing and a hoarse voice. The cough is described as a “barking” cough.
In otherwise healthy people, a cough from acute bronchitis can last 3 weeks. Your mucus becomes darker, thicker or increases in volume. Your cough has a barking sound and makes it hard to speak.
Your doctor will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. If you have pneumonia, your lungs may make crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds when you inhale.
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.
This will depend on the type of pneumonia you have and be either a dry or chesty cough. Bacterial pneumonia is more serious and often results in a gurgling sound when breathing and mucus or phlegm when coughing.
Croup usually gets better on its own within 48 hours.
Occasional coughing is normal as it helps clear your throat and airway of germs, mucus and dust. A cough that doesn't go away or comes with other symptoms like shortness of breath, mucus production or bloody phlegm could be the sign of a more serious medical problem.
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.
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.
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.
The main symptoms are: a chesty cough – you may cough up green or yellow mucus. wheezing and shortness of breath. chest pain or discomfort.
While symptoms for either bronchitis or pneumonia can range from mild to serious enough to require hospitalization, symptoms such as fever, breathing problems, and chest pain tend to be more severe with pneumonia.