Krup (acute subglottic laryngitis, pseudo-angina) is a common childhood viral disease. Though it starts abruptly and can scare parents, it is generally mild and passes fairly quickly. How to recognize and treat croup?

Krup , otherwiseacute subglottic laryngitisorpseudo-angina , is a disease that attacks mainly children between 6 months and 5 years of age. In adults, it is diagnosed very rarely.

We are most often hit by Krup in autumn, but also in spring, when we are exposed to large temperature differences. It is spread by airborne droplets and is caused by the parainfluenza virus in 75% of cases (also by adenoviruses, RS virus, metapneumoviruses, measles, allergies, and contact with respiratory tract irritants).

Its symptoms resemble angina, a form of diphtheria that affects the larynx (today, thanks to vaccinations, this disease is practically non-existent). Interestingly, boys are more likely to develop acute subglottic laryngitis than girls.

Krup: symptoms and course

The disease usually begins at night with a sudden attack of coughing - characteristic, the so-called barking. This is often the case after a recent mild respiratory infection, but sometimes it appears completely out of the blue. In addition, in the dealer we observe:

  • shallow, wheezing (stridor)
  • breathing difficulties: the baby is gasping for air - because the throat is swollen and constricted, the baby wants to breathe through his nose at all costs
  • hoarseness
  • rhinitis, or runny nose
  • fever
  • difficulty swallowing
  • strong work of the chest
  • bruising around the lips, nails (very rarely)

In the days following the onset of a nocturnal bout of coughing, a minor infection with a runny nose, coughing and elevated temperature begins to develop, and at night bouts of coughing are repeated, although they are not so intense. As a rule, the croup will disappear after 2-7 days. However, relapses can occur in particularly sensitive individuals.

Worth knowing

In the prevention of croup, it is recommended to ventilate the apartment before going to bed, do not overheat the rooms and support immunity with natural methods - eat a lot of silages, which are rich in vitamin C,avoid processed foods, dress appropriately for the temperature, and be aware of outdoor activities.

How to treat croup?

It happens that acute subglottic laryngitis is severe. It depends on the "virulence" of the virus in question, on the overall he alth of the child, as well as on the child's age and susceptibility to allergies.

Children who are under one year of age endure this disease more difficult. Sometimes it can even be life-threatening.

In these more severe cases, you should definitely go to the doctor and even to the hospital for the emergency room.

The specialist then orders corticosteroid drugs, such as dexamethasone (in a single dose from 0.15 mg to 0.6 mg / kg bw, the effect of which lasts for 3-4 days) administered enterally (orally) or by by injection, or inhaled budesonide.

They bring relief within a few hours, but the fastest (but also the shortest) is administering adrenaline through nebulization. After 10 minutes, the patient feels an improvement, and after a few hours of observation, he can go home.

In the most severe cases, intubation and respiratory support must be included in the treatment of croup.

There are also complications after the croup, such as bacterial tracheitis, and then antibiotics are included in the treatment - mostly vancomycin and cefotaxime.
In most cases, however, treatment of croup, i.e. acute subglottic laryngitis, not requires no medical intervention.

When a child is coughing a lot and has difficulty breathing, dress him / her warmly and take him out into the fresh air, or at least sit with him in the open window.

When it is warm outside, a similar effect can be obtained in front of the open refrigerator. Cold air constricts the airways and makes it easier to breathe.

Important

For many years it has been widely believed that steam is effective in relieving acute cough. However, this is a mistake. Humidifying the air and any inhalations (saline, chamomile, etc., sausages over a hot tub) can help, when the cough is chronic, it has been going on for over a week. Cold and dry air is effective in the fight against cough in the course of croup.

Category:

Infectious diseases