Croup is a respiratory disease caused by airway stenosis that is frequently seen in childhood between 6 months and 3 years of age.
It is more common in children in spring and autumn and is a condition that requires urgent diagnosis and treatment. Croup is a respiratory disorder usually caused by viral infection of the upper airway. Symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe and usually worsen at night.
There is an infection or spasm involving the larynx and sub-larynx area. A picture similar to croup can also be caused by foreign body aspiration, trauma (intubation) and sudden allergic reactions. Although viral infections are the most common cause, bacterial and atypical agents can also cause croup.
In most cases, there are signs of infection before the attack, such as runny nose, nasal congestion, mild cough and mild fever. Croup is characterized by a hoarse and hoarse voice in young children, a barking-like dry cough, short-term respiratory distress, and significant difficulty in breathing. Older children prefer to breathe by sitting forward. Symptoms may increase with crying. Mild symptoms usually resolve in 3-7 days. However, some children may experience severe respiratory failure and distress.
Viral croup is generally a short-lived illness; Croup can rarely lead to death due to asphyxiation and/or cardiac arrest. Symptoms usually improve within two days but may take up to seven days to heal. Other uncommon complications include bacterial tracheitis, pneumonia and pulmonary edema.
The diagnosis is made based on the clinical findings of the disease and x-ray is used in cases considered complicated.
While most cases are treated on an outpatient basis after initial intervention, approximately 10% are diagnosed. He is hospitalized and treated. Children with croup should be kept as calm as possible. Less than 1% may need respiratory support in intensive care conditions. The most important point in treatment is keeping the airways open and oxygen support. It is beneficial for the weather to be cold and humid. Cold steam moistens airway secretions and mucosa. If respiratory distress increases while administering steam, this treatment should be discontinued. When scented substances such as menthol can cause irritation and reactivity in the respiratory tract n should not be used. As drug treatment, cortisone steam or injection treatments are applied in the emergency room. Then, outpatient or inpatient maintenance treatments are planned. Antibiotics and cough medicines have no place in Classical Croup Syndrome, which we see frequently. However, antibiotic treatment is lifesaving in rare cases of bacterial croup. In recurrent croup attacks, advanced examination and treatment of diseases such as allergic causes, gastric reflux, and important underlying conditions that may be congenital or acquired and may cause internal or external pressure on the respiratory tract should not be forgotten.
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