Croup (fancy name: laryngotracheobronchitis) is a respiratory illness that causes a portion of the affected child’s airway (below the vocal cords) to become inflamed and narrowed. Think: Laryngitis in babies.
Croup is typically caused by a virus (such as the parainfluenza virus) and is most commonly seen in kids 6 months to 3 years of age.1
What are the Symptoms of Croup?
The Symptoms of Croup Include:
- Cold-Like Symptoms (such as a runny nose and a low-grade fever).
- A Hoarse Voice: Croup will make your child’s cries and coos raspy.
- A “Barking” Cough: A “barking” cough is a classic sign of croup. Your child will sound like a dog or a seal barking. You’ll know it when you hear it. The cough may be worse at night and when your child is crying.
- Inspiratory Stridor: Children with more pronounced cases of croup often make a high-pitched squeaking or whistling sound when they inhale.
- For moderate cases of croup, you may hear this sound (fancy name: inspiratory stridor) only when your child is upset.
- For more severe cases, the inspiratory stridor may be heard with every breath.
- Trouble Breathing: Respiratory distress is seen in severe cases of croup and is due to an intense narrowing of the upper airway. Babies, in this case, look like they’re huffing and puffing.
Insider Info:
- Days 2 and 3 of croup tend to be worse than Day 1, so call the doctor right away if you hear the classic barking cough.
- If you want to impress the doctor, you can casually mention the “Westley Croup Severity Score.”
What’s That? It’s a scoring system that gives doctors and nurses a sense of how bad the croup is and how aggressively they need to treat it. This scoring system evaluates 5 factors and can be used in kids under 6 years of age.
Get Wise(r) About the Westley Croup Severity Score, Here. (Note: If you’ve already purchased our Baby or Toddler PediaGuide, simply click the link for instant access. If you don’t have either PediaGuide yet, you can get one or both in the “Find Your Guide” section below.)
How is Croup Diagnosed?
Croup is usually diagnosed based on a child’s symptoms, with the barking cough being the telltale sign.
Insider Info: If your baby develops severe croup, the doctor may recommend that they get a neck X-ray in the ER to confirm the diagnosis and to rule out other possible causes of upper airway swelling. The classic neck X-ray finding for croup is the “steeple sign” (which shows the narrowing of the trachea – aka the windpipe). See how the upper part of the trachea looks like a church steeple in the pic below?
Image Source: Wikipedia
What Can Be Done to Treat Croup?
- Call the doctor ASAP if you think your child has croup.
- For mild to moderate cases of croup, the doctor will either prescribe an oral steroid (to take at home) OR give your child a steroid shot in the office to reduce the upper airway swelling. Sometimes a second steroid dose is needed the following day.
- In addition, you can put a humidifier in your baby’s room or take them into the bathroom and run a hot shower. The warm, moist air will help alleviate the airway swelling.
- For more severe cases of croup, a trip to the ER may be in order. In the ER, the doctor will give your child steroids and may administer a breathing treatment called racemic epinephrine to open up the airways.
The Bottom Line
Croup is a common respiratory illness in kids that tends to be diagnosed on the early side because of its characteristic “barking” cough. Croup is often mild and resolves after a few days with the help of an oral steroid.
