Croup is the common name for a medical condition known as laryngotracheobronchitis. Common in babies and young children, croup involves infection and the resulting inflammation of the windpipe, vocal cords and bronchial tubes, or trachea, larynx, and bronchi, obstructing breathing and causing what’s characteristically known as a “barking cough.”
Causes of Croup
Croup is typically caused by a virus, most frequently the parainfluenza virus. A child can contract the virus by inhaling respiratory droplets an infected child coughs or sneezes into the air. The virus that these droplets contain can also remain active on surfaces, like tables, chairs, and toys. If a child touches their eyes, mouth, or nose after touching an infected surface, they could develop croup and start developing symptoms.
A croup that develops quickly while a child is already experiencing a mild cold, is called spasmodic croup. Possible causes of spasmodic croup include allergies and acid reflux. In this form of the condition, the cough typically starts in the middle of the night and, unlike viral croup cough, has no fever associated with it. Spasmodic croup cough is much rarer than common croup, though once acquiring it, it frequently recurs.
Croup Symptoms
Croup often first appears with symptoms resembling a common cold. Symptoms shortly following these include swelling of the vocal cords and windpipe; the child may experience trouble breathing as a result. This swelling, then, also leads to hoarseness and raspiness, especially while crying, as well as a sore throat and a cough. The child may also have a fever and make noisy and high-pitched sounds while coughing that resemble a seal barking, hence the common name a “barking cough.”
Other times, a child’s breathing will include a high-pitched whistling sound on the inhale, or what’s medically known as “stridor.” Other possible croup symptoms include a rash, redness and swelling around the eyes, and swollen lymph nodes.
Croup symptoms tend to be worse during the night and can be worse in children ages six months to three years. Croup symptoms generally last for about three to five days.
Other Conditions Presenting Similar Symptoms
Be aware that your child may experience these symptoms and not actually have croup. Similar symptoms can also result from a child breathing in fine particles, such as flour or powder. Epiglottitis, bacterial tracheitis, and certain other infections can also cause similar symptoms.
A food allergy can also cause similar symptoms as croup, particularly a constricted airway and strained breathing. If you suspect that your child may be experiencing symptoms of a food allergy, call 911 immediately.
Because the symptoms of croup have so many other potential causes, seeking a pediatrician’s diagnosis is crucial to identify the proper treatment and facilitate the quickest and fullest recovery.
Croup Cough Complications
In rare cases of croup, the child’s airway can swell so much as to impede the child’s ability to breathe. Also in rare cases, a second infection, this time bacterial, can occur in the trachea also impairing breathing. In such cases, the child requires urgent medical care. Only a small fraction of children taken to the emergency room for croup need hospitalization.
Treatment for Barking Cough in Kids
In most cases, viral croup is mild, in which case you can generally treat your child at home. Simply try to soothe your child and keep them calm to avoid crying, which can exacerbate symptoms. Keep your child as comfortable as possible while ensuring that they remain upright. Be sure, as well, that your child drinks plenty of water. To reduce a low fever, you can use over-the-counter fever-reducing medicines like ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
In those rare cases when croup cough does interfere with a child’s breathing ability, you’ll want to call 911 right away.
When to See a Doctor for Croup Cough
If your child is experiencing a barking cough while agitated, crying, or playing, there’s no emergency; if the barking cough occurs while none of those things are occurring, there may be cause for concern. Other instances in which a child with croup should see a doctor are:
- Noisy and high-pitched sounds while both inhaling and exhaling
- Noisy and high-pitching breathing while not agitated or crying
- High-pitched wheezing sounds in the child’s lower airway
- Drooling and difficulty swallowing
- Seeming agitated and anxious or listless and fatigued
- Breathing at a faster rate than normal
- Struggling to breathe
- Bluish or grayish skin developing around the mouth, nose, or fingernails (cyanosis)
If symptoms begin to interfere with your child’s breathing, seek emergency medical attention for your child by calling EMS immediately.
How Does a Doctor Diagnose Croup?
Initially, a pediatrician in Port St. Lucie may ask you to describe any breathing problems or recent illnesses that the child has experienced. Then, the doctor will examine your child to rule out other possible causes of their symptoms. The doctor will listen to your child’s breathing and look inside their throat. In some cases, the doctor may test your child’s blood oxygen level or take an X-ray to see if something is stuck in your child’s throat.
Why Does My Child Keep Getting Croup?
A combination of several factors compounds the risk of a child getting croup more than once, and often multiple times, throughout childhood:
- Children between six months and three years old are at high risk for developing croup.
- The croup virus is highly contagious among children, particularly during the first few days of infection.
- The croup virus is prevalent during the fall and winter, when children are often in close quarters together, like child care and playgroups.
- Children have smaller airways, making them more susceptible to upper airway infections.
Preventing Croup Cough
The ways to prevent croup are the same ways you prevent colds and flu; wash hands frequently with soap and warm water. Always isolate your child from anyone who’s currently sick. It’s also best to teach your child to sneeze and cough into their elbow to quell the spread of germs.
To help prevent the possibility of croup symptoms from becoming more severe when they do occur, keep your child current on their vaccinations. Most notably, the Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) and diphtheria vaccines help protect a child from several of the rarest yet most pernicious viral infections of the upper airway. No vaccine currently exists that provides protection against the parainfluenza virus.
If you’re concerned your child may have a croup cough, contact us at PEMC of Florida in Port St. Lucie, Florida, for a consultation and diagnosis.