Symptoms and Treatment for Your Child’s Croup
Croup is an uncomfortable condition characterized by coughing and breathing difficulties. At Vickery Pediatrics, we diagnose and treat croup at our Cumming practice, and if a child feels too sick to attend in person, we also offer treatment through telemedicine pediatric care. Fortunately, most cases of croup are mild and children will recover reasonably quickly. However, more severe symptoms are certainly possible, so it’s important to understand the main symptoms – and when to contact your pediatrician.
What Is Croup?
Croup is an inflammation of the voice box (larynx) and the windpipe (trachea). When a child has croup, the airway just below the vocal cords becomes narrow. This makes breathing noisy and difficult and can be quite alarming for children and parents alike.
Children are most likely to get croup between 6 months and 3 years of age. After age 3, it is not as common since the windpipe is larger and swelling is less of an issue. Croup can occur at any time of the year, but it is more common between October and March. Frequent bouts of croup should be evaluated for another cause like cough variant asthma.
What Are the Symptoms of Croup?
Your child may have one or several of the following:
- Loud cough – may sound like a barking seal
- Fast or difficult breathing
- Grunting noise or wheezing while breathing
- May have cold-like symptoms like a stuffy or runny nose and fever
- Constellation of symptoms usually lasts between 3-7 days
Symptoms often worsen at night or when a child is upset or crying.
What You Can Do for Your Child If They Have Croup
- Sit in the bathroom with the shower running on the hottest setting letting the bathroom steam up
- Use a cool-water vaporizer or humidifier in your child’s room
- Sometimes taking your child outside (change in environmental temperature) is helpful
When to Call the Doctor Because of Croup
Immediately call your child’s doctor or seek medical attention if your child has any of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing, including rapid breathing, belly sinking in while breathing, or the skin between the ribs pulling in every time the child is taking a breath
- Stridor – a loud breath sound usually heard on breathing in as well as out – especially if it is prominent when the child is not active
- Pale or bluish color around the mouth
- Drooling or difficulty swallowing
- Greater inactivity than usual when ill
- High fever
- Very sick appearance
Cumming-Based Pediatric Care and Croup Treatments
When your child is displaying common croup symptoms, Vickery Pediatrics is available to help. Since our founding in 2005 we have provided first-class care for children in Cumming, Buford, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Forsyth County. For sick care or well-child visits, call (678) 990-2501 or request an appointment today.