Croup has come to town

October 22, 2007 by Kenneth Carlson, MD

larynx As we often see this time of year there has been an increase in cases of croup.

Croup is when a viral cold causes swelling near and just below a child’s voice box. If a child is older they will have cold symptoms, harsh cough and a hoarse voice. If a child is younger (typically less than 5 years old) they more often can have some breathing problems from croup. The narrowing near the voice box can lead to stridor. This is a harsh and sometimes musical sound loudest when a child is breathing in. Symptoms are often worse at night and often come on suddenly.

If you child experiences croup symptoms during the night the first step is to take your child into a foggy, steamed up bathroom. If the stridor and breathing troubles continue than bundle up and head outside. The cold night air often reduces the severity of the breathing troubles. If the harsh breathing continues in spite of trying these things your child may need to be seen in the emergency rooms.

Since the problem is near the voice box and not down in the lungs, typical asthma medicines do not usually help this. Steroid medications can decrease the swelling near the voice box and decrease chance for admission to the hospital.

More information at croup page on our web site.

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