Croup is a common, primarily pediatric viral respiratory tract illness. As its alternative names, acute laryngotracheitis and acute laryngotracheobronchitis, indicate, croup generally affects the larynx and trachea, although this illness may also extend to the bronchi.Oct 9, 2019
Croup is usually caused by a viral infection, most often a parainfluenza virus. Your child may contract a virus by breathing infected respiratory droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. Virus particles in these droplets may also survive on toys and other surfaces.Oct 2, 2021
Moderate to severe croup — Moderate to severe croup should be evaluated in an emergency department or clinic capable of handling urgent respiratory illnesses. Severe croup is a life-threatening illness, and treatment should not be delayed for any reason.Feb 15, 2021
Laryngotracheobronchitis (ie, croup) is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that causes varying degrees of airway obstruction but that, with aggressive emergent management, only infrequently requires hospital admission.Sep 28, 2018
[2] Parainfluenza virus accounts for more than 75% of croup infections. It is more common in boys than girls with a 1.5:1 ratio.Jul 26, 2021
Viruses that are known to cause croup are: Parainfluenza virus. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) The flu (influenza virus)
What Is Croup? Kids with croup have a virus that makes their airways swell. They have a telltale "barking" cough (often compared to the sound of a seal's bark) and a raspy voice, and make a high-pitched, squeaky noise when they breathe.
Croup normally lasts three to five days and responds well to at-home treatments such as cool-mist vaporizers and fever reducers. Whooping cough is the result of a bacterial infection that attacks the lungs and breathing tubes.Mar 16, 2021
Less musical sounding than a wheeze, stridor is a high-pitched, turbulent sound that can happen when a child inhales or exhales. Stridor usually indicates an obstruction or narrowing in the upper airway, outside of the chest cavity.
Croup is a clinical diagnosis made when patients present with a barky cough with or without stridor. Patients with the extension of inflammation into the lower airway, or laryngotracheobronchitis, can also have wheezing, crackles, decreased air movement, and tachypnea.
In children, laryngomalacia is the most common cause of chronic stridor, while croup is the most common cause of acute stridor. Generally, an inspiratory stridor suggests airway obstruction above the glottis while an expiratory stridor is indicative of obstruction in the lower trachea.Nov 15, 1999
A secondary infection can sometimes develop following the initial viral infection that caused croup. A secondary infection can potentially cause: pneumonia, a chest infection which causes swelling of the tissue in one or both lungs.Oct 28, 2021