Croup

Croup is a narrowing of the airway that almost always is caused by a viral infection. It often is preceded by an upper respiratory tract infection and generally affects children between 1 and 3 years of age.

Children with croup have a "barky," harsh cough and usually a low- to moderate-grade fever. If the swelling in the airway worsens, the child may begin to breathe faster and have trouble breathing. You also may hear a high-pitched sound with each breath, called stridor.

Many children with mild croup can be cared for at home if watched closely, given a lot of liquids and treated with a cool-mist humidifier.

Children whose symptoms worsen, develop a high fever, become restless, have a lot of trouble breathing or who begin breathing faster than 30 breaths per minute should see a doctor promptly.

Croup in children younger than 1 year of age is uncommon. In these cases, there may be another cause of a narrow airway, such as a birth defect.