Croup Season is upon us. Do you know what Croup is? Or Pseudokrupp as it called in German?

Croup is most commonly caused by a virus, and is recognised by a loud, dry barking cough, often a hoarse voice and wheezing during inhalation (breathing in). It mostly affects children between the ages of 6 months to 6 years. The cough attacks are typically in the middle of the night and can sound very scary and the child is in obvious discomfort. For parents, this can be a worrying situation but it is essential that you stay calm to not worry your child even more.

The best therapy when this happens the first time is to allow your child to inhale moist air, either by running a bath or shower with hot water or by using a nebuliser if you have one.

An ambulance is not always necessary and depend on the symptoms and how you as a parent can cope with it: you must call an ambulance or take your child to an emergency room if he or she turns blue during the cough attacks, becomes drowsy or is obviously struggling to catch her breath.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has some information on their parents’s advice website Healthy Children: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/Croup.aspx.

You want to learn more? I speak about Croup in detail in all First Aid on Children courses. Look out for the next one that suits your schedule.

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Luitgard Holzleg

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