Croup

Croup is an infection which usually comes after a child experiences an acute viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. The vocal cords are already the petty part of the air passages, and any swelling from infection may narrow the airway enough to obstruct breathing. Though croup usually goes away on its own, between 5-10% of children with croup will require admission to the hospital. It is most common in children underneath 3 years old due to their airways are narrower and more likely to become blocked when there is an infection. Before the cough arises, your child may have a sore throat, temperature, red eyes, a runny nose, or have a poor appetite.

It generally occurs in young children under five years of age, and in most cases clears up volitionaly in 24 to 48 hours. Few children are more likely to developing croup, especially those who were born precociously or with narrowed upper airways. The cough frequently commences at night with a sudden onset. The child frequently has no fever with spasmodic croup. If your child was born untimely, he or she is also at higher risk of getting croup.

The term croup does not refer to a single illness, but rather a cluster of conditions involving inflammation of the upper airway that leads to a cough that sounds like a bark, particularly when a child is crying. This is the inflammation and narrowing of the voice box (larynx), the main air tube to the lungs (trachea), and the larger branching air tubes (the bronchi). The viruses most commonly involved are parainfluenza virus (responsible for most cases), adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and measles. Few children appear to be particularly prone to croup and have a number of infections.

Boys are more probably than girls, with peak seasonal outbreaks in late fall and winter. Even if your child is symptom free by morning, if he had any contrived breathing overnight you should see your doctor during the day. Since the croup may be more extreme at night your doctor may desire to treat your child with a short course of steroids to reduce the inflammation in the airways in order to avoid middle of the night breathing difficulty. The impediment of the airway may result in stridor (noise) similar to croup, but a barky cough is not typically part of the picture. Fortunately, epiglottitis is a rare disease that has become even more rare since we routinely immunize children against Hemophilus influenza B.

Causes of Croup

The common Causes of Croup :

• Paramyxovirus
• Measles virus
• Respiratory syncytial virus
• Enterovirus
• Influenza virus type A
• Enteric cytopathogenic human orphan virus
• Rhinovirus

Symptoms of Croup

Some Symptoms of Croup :

• The symptoms usually happen at night when the child has been lying down for a couple of hours.
• A wheezing or grunting noise while breathing
• Hoarse, raspy voice
• runny or stuffy nose, fever, feeling tired
• Hoarseness and noisy breathing.

Treatment of Croup

• Since the disease is a viral infection it cannot be cured with antibiotics
• Serious cases of croup result in admission to hospital where the patient will be given oxygen, corticosteroids and adrenaline by inhalation-treatment.
• The first rule of management is to keep the child as comfortable as possible, allowing the patient to stay in a parent's arms and avoiding unnecessary interventions.
• If your child has severe croup or has not responded to home treatment, medications may be used to decrease airway swelling.
• Avoid exposure to respiratory irritants such as smoke.
• Some children will benefit from sitting up straight for ease of breathing. An infant car seat can be used for small babies.
• Acetaminophen (Children's Tylenol) may be given for fever. Consult your doctor before using aspirin or related products such as children's ibuprofen (Advil).