Croup season is here, just as it is every year around October-November. Some years are worse than others; in fact, croup tends to go in 5-year cycles. This seems to be a pretty mild year. It may be a normal variation, or it may be that the H1N1 (“swine”) flu has suppressed the croup viruses somehow.
Croup is caused by respiratory viruses that cause colds, including parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus, and others. It starts off like any other cold, with a runny nose and sometimes a fever. Older children and adults will usually develop a sore throat, a hoarse voice or laryngitis, and a cough. Young children will develop a characteristic cough that sounds like a seal barking, and usually will have a hoarse voice. Croup is caused by the virus infecting the throat, causing swelling of the vocal cords and surrounding tissues, which is what causes the hoarseness and the characteristic cough. Older children and adults have a larger air passage and the swelling does not make the cough sound like a seal barking.
Croup is usually no more serious than a typical cold. However, because the virus causes swelling of the air passage in the throat, it can be serious in young children and infants. A dose of steroids has been clearly shown to help prevent mild croup from becoming more severe, so we usually give a dose to children with croup. Treatment also includes saline nose drops and suction for congestion and a humidifier. Coughing episodes at night can be treated by taking the child into a steamy bathroom. A warning sign that croup may need more treatment is when the child makes a noisy sound when breathing in while sleeping or resting quietly, or a coughing episode that will not stop.
Croup, like many common childhood illnesses, is a disease that most children will have sometime early in their lives. Thankfully, it is usually a mild and benign disease. More information can be found in our article on croup.
