Croup (cont.)

The major concern in croup is the accompanying breathing difficulties as the upper airway narrows. Close monitoring of the child's breathing is important. The child should be especially observed at night or when napping for breathing difficulty. The doctor should be notified if the child is having progressive breathing difficulty, unusual drooling, agitation, or restlessness, fever over 103 F, or if the parent feels frightened!

The breathing difficulties seen in croup can progress rapidly, turning into a life-threatening emergency. Rarely, a child must be rushed by ambulance into the emergency room because of serious breathing problems. Signs of serious trouble include swallowing difficulty, nonstop drooling, bluish discoloration of the skin or lips, sucking in of the chest, and rapid breathing (over 80 breaths per minute).

While most children recover from croup without hospitalization, some children can develop life-threatening breathing difficulties. Therefore, close contact with the doctor during this illness is important.

REFERENCE:

Woods, Charles R. "Patient Information: Croup in Infants and Children." UptoDate.com. Aug. 18, 2010. <http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~IJIXh1W5371lMy>.

Last Editorial Review: 1/11/2011

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/croup/article.htm