Spasmodic croup This type of croup is thought to be caused by an allergy or by reflux from the stomach. 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.
Croup symptoms may begin with a cold, such as a runny nose, sore throat and mild fever. But the key feature of croup is a distinctive seal-like barky cough, which may come on suddenly.
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.
Croup is typically mild and lasts less than one week, but symptoms can get more severe. Symptoms normally start slowly and may begin with a runny or stuffy nose. Over the next 12 to 48 hours, symptoms can worsen and the barking cough may start. Symptoms are usually worse at night.
Epiglottitis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection, often masquerades as the more common and less severe viral illness croup.
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.
Although a viral infection is the most common cause of croup, it's not the only one. Allergies to food or triggers in the environment may also cause croup symptoms. Reflux (when stomach acid and food move back up into the esophagus) can cause this illness, as well.
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.
Children with RSV typically have two to four days of upper respiratory tract symptoms, such as fever and runny nose/congestion. These are then followed by lower respiratory tract symptoms, like increasing wheezing cough that sounds wet and forceful with increased work breathing.
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.
A single dose of an oral corticosteroid medication called dexamethasone or prednisolone will usually also be prescribed to help reduce the swelling in the throat. If your child has breathing problems they may need hospital treatment, such as adrenaline and oxygen through a mask.
Croup can spread among children and from children to adults. The virus in mucus or respiratory droplets spreads through sneezing, coughing, crying, and wheezing. The croup infection is contagious until three days after symptoms start or, if fever is present, until the fever resolves.
RSV, or Respiratory syncytial virus, and croup are not the same things, but they are related. 6 to 8% of croup cases are caused by RSV. RSV symptoms may include nasal drainage, congestion, wheezing, labored breathing, fever and dehydration.
Prevention of croup
The viruses that cause croup are very similar to those of the common cold. They start to be infectious with the first signs, such as a runny nose and cough, and remain infectious for up to 5 days. Only about one in 10 children who get these viruses will develop croup.
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.
Call Your Doctor If:
Stridor (harsh raspy sound) occurs. Croupy cough lasts more than 14 days. You think your child needs to be seen. Your child becomes worse.
Croup is spread through direct contact with an infected person or their body fluids. 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).
Children usually feel better in 3 to 4 days without any treatment. A doctor may recommend the following to help with symptoms: pain medicines such as paracetamol (Panadol or Dymadon) or ibuprofen (Nurofen) liquid medicine (steroids) for your child's noisy breathing.
Albuterol does not have significant alpha-1 effect making it ineffective for croup, In addition, its' beta effect could potentially cause vasodilation, and theoretically worsen upper airway edema.
This illness is most commonly seen in young ones because of their small airways. It is recommended to call your doctor about any illness that affects your child's breathing. Adults can contract croup, but it is very rare.
Breathing in the mist will sometimes stop the severe coughing. In cooler weather, taking your child outside for a few minutes to breathe in the cool air may ease symptoms. You also can try taking your child for a drive with the car windows slightly lowered.