Is croup causing your child's cough?
If your child has a nasty barking, seal-like cough, that's a symptom of croup. Pediatrician Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, explains what croup is and the best way to treat it, including how to avoid complications.
Transcript
Croup produces a distinctive barky, seal-like cough and hoarse voice in little kids. Older children and adults can get it too.
But they may only have a loud cough and hoarse voice or just cold symptoms. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Hi. I'm Dr. Altmann. It's not uncommon for small children to develop a nasty, barking, seal-like cough.
That's a symptom of croup. Croup is a viral infection that causes swelling of the upper airway, voicebox, and windpipe.
And because it's a virus, antibiotics won't help. Croup produces a distinctive barky, seal-like cough
and hoarse voice in little kids. Older children and adults can get it too, but they may only have a loud cough and hoarse voice, or just
cold symptoms. But in newborns, infants, and toddlers, the inflammation can sometimes be severe enough to produce stridor.
That's a loud, harsh sound heard when your child breathes in that indicates she's having trouble breathing.
To help decrease stridor, spend 20 minutes with your child outside in the cold night air or in a steam-filled bathroom.
Running a humidifier or vaporizer in her bedroom at night can also help. Croup tends to get worse on the second or third night,
so even if your child seems fine the next day, talk to your pediatrician to see if other treatment is needed. [AUDIO LOGO]
child development
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