Fall is here and I am sure everyone is loving this wonderful weather we are having! Hopefully it will last awhile--In our office we are seeing a lot of croup right now. Croup is defined by a viral infection of the voice box. The croupy cough is tight, low pitched and barky (like a barking seal). Most children with croup just have a barky cough. Some develop a tight breathing called stridor (raspy sound heard with breathing in). Other children will also have a fever with the cough. Usually it starts with cold symptoms and progressively gets worse at night.
Some things to do from home are to have the child inhale a warm mist in a foggy bathroom with the hot shower running (Caution: always be with child and never leave alone in bathroom with water running). If that is not effective, have your child inhale cool air from outside or a freezer. Some children need to be seen for further help. Treat fever with appropriate dosage of ibuprofen or acetaminophen and push fluids. If child is having stridor or is not improving after 2-3 days we should see your child. We should also see your child if he or she is having noisy or labored breathing, or if at-home measures do not help the child. Please don't hesitate to call our office and speak to a nurse for any further question.
**Information from the Pediatric Telephone Protocols--Barton D. Schmitt, MD
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