ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CROUP COUGH

Rahul, a 2-year-old boy was suffering from a severe cold. Though his mother used home remedies to treat him, the symptoms did not subside. After two days, Rahul started to experience severe cough and his cough resembled a barking sound. His voice changed during this period and he developed noisy breathing. Rahul’s mother got scared when she heard it and she rushed him to the hospital. After evaluating Rahul’s condition, the doctor realised that he was suffering from a viral infection called croup cough and prescribed medications for his cold. This medication helped in subsiding his cold and after three days, the cough and barking sound got cured.

Croup cough is a viral infection that causes swelling around the vocal cords. This infection obstructs breathing leading to a sound resembling a barking sound whenever the child tries to cough. Croup usually starts as a common cold and the viruses responsible for the common cold in children can also cause croup. Croup mostly affects kids in the winter. Though croup is not a serious condition, it is important to get it treated in children. Croup cough mostly affects children in the age group of six months to three years.

A child gets infected by croup by breathing infected droplets or touching a virus-infected surface and then touching their face, nose, eyes or mouth.

SYMPTOMS OF CROUP COUGH

The are various symptoms of croup cough like loud barking cough which further gets aggravated by crying and coughing, fever, hoarse voice, breathing that is noisy or labored, rash, redness in the eye, and swollen lymph nodes. Croup cough may last for three to five days and it becomes worse at night.

It is crucial to observe croup symptoms in your child and avoid the aggravation of symptoms. If the signs worsen or last longer than 3 days or if you observe the following symptoms: noisy, high-pitched breathing sounds while breathing, high-pitched breathing sounds while agitated, begins drooling or finds it difficult to swallow, the child is anxious and agitated, feeling always restless and fatigued, breathing heavily or the skin around the nose, mouth, and fingernails becomes blue or greyish—then it becomes important to take your child to the hospital.

Some children may also experience reoccurring croup that appears along with the common cold. Most cases of croup cough which are mild can be treated at home. Cool mist humidifiers may make it easier for your child to breathe easily while sleeping. In severe cases, treating the children with steroids will help.

PREVENTION

To prevent croup, take the following precautions: frequent hand-washing is most crucial followed by keeping your child away from anyone who is sick and advising your child to cough or sneeze into his or her elbow.

Also, administer all the vaccines to your child. It can help protect the child from the infection of the upper airway.

The writer is a Consultant, Pediatrician, and Neonatologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Sarjapur Road (a unit of Manipal Hospitals).