What should you know about breathing treatment croup?

Croup is usually a viral illness that causes swelling around the voice box and windpipe. A harsh, barking cough and a rough noise when breathing in are typical. Fever, hoarseness and cold symptoms may occur as well. The sound can become more noticeable when a child cries because agitation increases breathing effort. Croup is different from a simple cough, and the severity is judged by how the child breathes at rest, speaks or cries, drinks, and behaves.

A clinician may prescribe medicine to reduce airway swelling. In more serious illness, observation and inhaled treatment may be needed. A nebuliser treatment is given in a healthcare setting when appropriate; it should not delay emergency help.

Keep the child upright and calm, and hold them if that helps them settle. Offer small, frequent sips of fluid if they can swallow comfortably. Follow the prescribed medicine instructions and avoid smoke. Do not force the child to lie down or inspect the throat with an object. Watch the breathing when the child is quiet, not only during a coughing spell. Arrange a child health consultation when the cough is new, symptoms are recurring, or you are unsure how severe the breathing noise is. A common cold can precede croup, but treatment decisions depend on the child’s breathing.

Call emergency services if the child is struggling to breathe, the skin pulls in between the ribs or at the neck, lips look blue or grey, the child becomes unusually sleepy, or they cannot speak, cry or drink normally. Seek urgent care for noisy breathing while resting, drooling, difficulty swallowing, or a child who is rapidly worsening. Do not wait for a fever to appear; breathing effort is the key warning sign.

Ask: Is the noisy breathing present at rest or only when upset? Does my child need medicine to reduce swelling? What should I watch overnight? When should I return? Which breathing changes require emergency help?