As the seasons turns to winter soon, the disease known as croup once again becomes prevalent, leading to one scary time for parents of little ones. Luckily, however it rarely causes any serious problems. A little knowledge and preparation about this disease can go a long way.

Croup, also known as acute laryngotracheobronchitis (I prefer the shorter term) is an infection that causes inflammation, and possibly obstruction of the upper airways, more commonly known as the windpipe, where we breathe. It is usually seen during the winter months, affecting infants and toddlers generally up to three to four years of age, although it has been seen in other seasons of the year. The infection is usually viral in nature, with one type called parainfluenza causing the majority of cases of croup. What generally happens is the body creates secretions in response to the virus, which can lead to narrowing of air passages. Some children may also be more prone to repeated episodes of croup. Most children outgrow croup once their breathing airways become wider.

Croup can be often be confused with epiglottitis, which is a rarer but more serious disease, where the epiglottis, a tissue that covers the larynx, is blocked. Children here often have high fevers, are restless, and drool, and often extend their neck awkwardly to be able to breathe. Foreign bodies in the airway may also provide similar symptoms to croup.

The characteristic symptom is the barking cough, a harsh high-pitched sound from the lungs. "Barking like a seal" is a most common description of this sound. It usually occurs at night, can be of sudden onset and can last between three to seven days. Other symptoms include hoarseness, noisy breathing and a muffled voice. Children can also get more anxious due to the coughing, which can cause even more labored breathing. Smoking in the household can make croup symptoms worse.

What can parents do? It is important to calm the child down, and try not to be anxious yourself. For immediate relief, letting children out at night into the cool air may help restore the distress. Another way is to turn the hot shower on letting the child breathe in steam. Alternatively, the use of a cool mist humidifier or steam vaporizer may also help. Once symptoms subside, it is important to give warm fluids to prevent dehydration and which can also loosen secretions.

Often these above methods can give quick relief of the croup symptoms. If there is no relief in about fifteen minutes, then I would recommend seeing a doctor soon. Luckily, secretions in croup tend to take awhile for it to accumulate and cause airway obstruction. At the hospital, the physician may give a breathing treatment containing epinephrine, which helps shrink the inflammation in the air passages. Inhaled steroid medications may also be tried.

Croup can certainly be frightening to most. As more parents however become knowledgable about the diseases and recognize symptoms while maintaining composure, we can alleviate many fears and misconceptions of croup.