There have also been a few ELC children with Croup over the last couple of weeks so here is some information about it :
Croup is very common in young children, most often in children under five years old. It’s usually associated with a cold .
Causes
Croup is an infection that causes inflammation of the windpipe (trachea) and the vocal cords (voice box). The inflammation is usually caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold.Symptoms
Your child will usually have symptoms of a cold before the onset of croup, including a runny nose, sore throat, fever and irritability. He then develops a harsh, barking cough, sometimes a hoarse voice, and then noisy breathing (stridor).Treatment
Most children with croup don’t need treatment. You
can manage the symptoms in exactly the same way as for a cold.
It’s important to try and keep your child calm, because your child can have
more trouble breathing if she’s upset, frightened or stressed.Croup is most commonly caused by a virus, so antibiotics won’t work. Antibiotics treat only bacterial infections.Your child might need a three-day course of oral prednisolone or dexamethasone (steroids) if he has more severe symptoms. This treatment can reduce his symptoms quickly by helping reduce the swelling in his windpipe. It has no long-term consequences.
A few children with croup need to go to hospital for observation, to ensure that their windpipes don’t get blocked. While in hospital, your child might initially receive adrenaline in the form of mist (nebulised adrenaline). This reduces the swelling in the windipe very quickly while the steroids work.
