Croup

Symptoms

Unless the illness is severe, a child with croup is usually alert and active and doesn't appear very sick. Symptoms include:

  • Normal temperature or a slight fever.
  • A loud, barking cough.
  • A raspy, hoarse voice.
  • Varying degrees of high-pitched crowing sounds when breathing in.
  • Some trouble breathing as a result of swelling in the windpipe.

The coughing and troubled breathing caused by mild to moderate croup may make your child's condition seem more serious than it really is.

If your child has severe difficulty breathing, call 911 or other emergency services immediately.


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Author: Amy Fackler, MA
Cynthia Tank
Last Updated: June 21, 2006
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics
Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics

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