Croup is a viral infection that causes swelling of the windpipe just below the voice box. This swelling causes a barking "seal-like" cough with very noisy breathing. Your child may seem fine when they go to bed but several hours later wake with this frightening cough. They may also develop fever,and cold symptoms. Taking your child into a steam-filled bathroom or bundling them in a warm coat and sitting outside in the cool night air will often relieve their symptoms.
Occasionally children have difficulty breathing and may require more aggressive treatment with either steroids or special breathing treatments which will help reduce the swelling in the wind pipe. If your child is struggling to breathe, drooling, fails to improve with the above home treatments or you are concerned about their condition be sure to call your pediatrician, or take your child to the emergency room.
Since croup is caused by a virus, it is contagious. Different strains of viruses cause croup so your child could get it more than once. However, the severity of the disease is variable from person to person, so the fact that your sister¹s child was hospitalized does not mean that yours will have to.
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