False croup is an infectious disease. false croup

Croup is enough dangerous disease respiratory system, which occurs as a complication of acute infectious and inflammatory processes in the respiratory system. Due to some anatomical and physiological features of the child's body, the most susceptible to development this disease Small children.

The main danger of croup for the health of the patient lies in the growing disorder of breathing, which appears due to the narrowing of the larynx and upper trachea. Therefore, this disease has another name - stenosing (that is, accompanied by persistent narrowing of the lumen of the organ) or laryngotracheitis.

There are two types of cereals:

True. It develops only with diphtheria. The pathology is based on specific fibrinous inflammation with the formation of films on the mucous membrane of the larynx (in the area vocal folds). The airways of a person are clogged with these films, and suffocation occurs.

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False. Is a complication of other infectious and inflammatory diseases respiratory system. Obstruction of the respiratory tract with this type of croup occurs mainly due to swelling of the walls of the larynx (and the same vocal folds).

False croup is the most common, so it will be the focus of this article.

Depending on the prevailing pathological changes false croup can occur in various forms:

in edematous, in which the patient's serious condition is caused by swelling of the respiratory tract;
in hypersecretory, characterized by abundant formation of viscous sputum, blocking the lumen of the larynx;
in spasmodic, caused by spasm of the respiratory system;
in a mixed one, in which several pathological manifestations are present at once (edema and hypersecretion, edema and spasm, etc.).

Causes of croup

Croup in a child can occur against the background of the following infectious diseases:

and in most cases.
Ailments caused by respiratory syncytial virus and.
Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system of a bacterial nature.

Why do children most often develop croup?

The most susceptible to the development of false croup are children from 6 months. up to 3 years, at an older age, this syndrome is much less common. This pattern is explained by some anatomical and physiological features of the respiratory tract of the child:

What happens with croup in the airways?

An acute inflammatory process in the larynx is usually accompanied by swelling of the mucous membrane and the formation of mucus. If this edema is pronounced (especially in the narrowest part of the larynx - in the region of the vocal folds and below them), the lumen is partially blocked at first, and with the intensification of pathological changes - to a critical level, as a result of which the patient cannot breathe normally - suffocates. This is the croup. Contributes to the violation of the patency of the respiratory tract in this disease, a significant accumulation of sputum and spasm of the muscles of the larynx. Moreover, it is very important that the child's anxiety, screaming and crying only increase the spasm of the respiratory system.

Especially high is the likelihood of developing croup at night. This is explained by the following physiological phenomena: when a child lies for a long time, the outflow of blood and lymph from the tissues occurs somewhat differently (therefore, swelling increases), the drainage activity of the respiratory tract decreases (mucus accumulates in them). If at the same time there is also dry warm air in the room, which dries out the mucous membranes, the risk of respiratory disorders increases significantly.

Croup is characterized by a triad of symptoms:

barking paroxysmal cough;
stridor (noisy breathing), especially when the child is crying or worried;
hoarseness of voice.

In addition, secondary signs of the disease appear - severe anxiety, rapid breathing and heartbeat, nausea, hyperthermia.

rising respiratory failure all symptoms are aggravated, the child's skin becomes gray or bluish, salivation increases, wheezing becomes audible already in calmness, and lethargy replaces anxiety.

Croup diagnosis

Croup is diagnosed in a child according to a characteristic clinical picture and the presence of symptoms of an infectious and inflammatory disease of the respiratory organs. There is simply no time to conduct any additional research in such situations, since assistance to the patient must be provided immediately.

Others may have symptoms similar to croup. pathological conditions: aspiration of a foreign body (for example, contact with the respiratory organs of parts of toys), allergic edema of the respiratory tract, trauma to the larynx, sudden laryngospasm, epiglottitis and others. The approach to the treatment of these ailments is somewhat different, therefore, it is impossible to treat a child who has manifestations of airway obstruction on his own.

First aid for croup

The first thing parents should do when a child develops symptoms of croup is to call ambulance. Then do the following (before the doctors arrive, you can try to alleviate the baby's condition):

Take the child in your arms and calm. As mentioned above, fear and anxiety leads to increased spasm of the airways.
Wrap the patient in a blanket and bring it to an open window or take it out to the balcony (he needs access to cold air). You can also take your child to the bathroom, which has a faucet with cool water (not hot!).
If there is a nebulizer in the house, let the child breathe with saline or mineral water.

Important! Any steam inhalation, rubbing and other similar procedures for croup are contraindicated.

Croup treatment

Children with symptoms of croup are hospitalized. The first thing doctors should do is restore airway patency. To do this, it is necessary to reduce swelling and spasm of the larynx, as well as free its lumen from accumulated mucus. Therefore, on prehospital stage, and then in a hospital, the patient undergoes the following treatment:

With the ineffectiveness of conservative therapy, tracheal intubation or tracheotomy is performed, followed by artificial ventilation of the lungs.

Since false croup most often occurs in children against the background, its development can be prevented by preventing "cold" diseases. In addition, an important role in preventing the occurrence of stenosing laryngitis is played by the correct behavior of parents with influenza and other similar ailments in a child. It is the implementation of the doctor's recommendations, the creation of comfortable conditions in the patient's room (clean, humid, cool air), drinking plenty of water, regular washing of the nose, and not advertised drugs, that can reduce the severity of pathological changes in the respiratory system.

In addition, with ARI it is not advisable to do the following: put mustard plasters, rub the patient with essential oils, give your baby citrus fruits, honey and other potential allergens. All this can cause a reflex spasm of the muscles of the larynx and provoke the development of croup.

Important: parents of children who have had croup in the past should definitely consult with their pediatrician about how to behave if the child has the first threatening symptoms of respiratory disorders, and what medicines for emergency assistance must be in the first aid kit.

Zubkova Olga Sergeevna, medical commentator, epidemiologist

Despite the name - false croup in children - this disease is the most real. And, sometimes very dangerous and serious. By what symptoms children's croup is recognized and how to deal with it - it will be useful for parents to know.

In some situations, croup in children can lead to asthma attacks.
Therefore, a consultation with a doctor when choosing a method of treatment is required!

Major illness in young children

Let's start with the fact that a separate diagnosis such as "croup" or "false croup" does not exist at all. Croup syndrome in children in most cases develops against the background. And more specifically:

Croup in children is stenosing laryngitis (that is, a form of inflammation of the larynx in which the walls of the larynx narrow sharply, causing difficulty breathing and the threat of suffocation). Children's croup never develops on its own, but only against the background of an infectious disease.

In other words: if laryngitis in children can be caused by other causes besides an infectious disease (for example, an allergy attack or a burn of the respiratory tract), then croup occurs only against the background of an infection and nothing else.

Moreover, infections can be different: both viral (such as rubella, etc.), and bacterial (diphtheria, and others).

A few decades ago, croup was most often associated with an infection such as diphtheria. And then he was called by doctors by the expression "true croup." But in our time, thanks to the mass vaccination of babies, outbreaks of diphtheria (and, accordingly, diphtheria croup) have not been heard for a long time. In modern pediatrics, croup in most cases (more than 98% of cases among children) is diagnosed in children with ARVI. And accordingly, the viral croup began to bear a middle name - “false croup”. So there are still two different cereals:

true (occurring extremely rarely and only during an outbreak of diphtheria);
false croup in children (occurring against the background of SARS, and most often against the background of parainfluenza).

In most cases, croup syndrome in children is provoked by the activity of the parainfluenza virus, to which adults practically do not react, but small children “hook” it very “willingly”. So most often the first croup in a child's life (and there can be as many as you like) happens between the ages of six months and 2 years. That is, in the very period when the baby begins to actively communicate with other children on the playground, in the pool, in the nursery, etc.

Doctors noticed a pattern: the later in age a child has the first parainfluenza and, accordingly, the first croup, the more severe the disease is.

The most obvious symptoms of false croup in children are temporary loss of voice,
severe cough and difficulty breathing.

At the same time, with age, gradually the child's croup becomes less and less and easier to bear. And not because the baby adapts to them or begins to develop some kind of new immune defense, but simply because the older the child becomes, the more he grows and internal organs. Including the larynx! And the wider the diameter of the larynx, the less likely it is to get laryngitis or croup.

Popular pediatrician, Dr. E. O. Komarovsky: "With the same inflammation of the larynx, with the same degree of edema - where the child begins to choke and turn blue, the adult will simply yell more quietly."

False croup in children: symptoms

Symptoms of croup, especially in young children, are always obvious - any parent can easily recognize them, no matter how far from medicine he may be. The combination of the following 4 symptoms makes it very likely that you have croup:

1 In a child fever(and this is a sure sign of infection);
2 The baby has a barking cough;
3 There is a change in the voice (or the voice generally disappears for a while);
4 The child has difficulty breathing (and it is difficult to inhale, but the exhalation is always easy and free).

There is a fundamental difference in the symptoms of classic laryngitis and croup: with general symptoms(barking cough, signs of infection, hoarse voice) with laryngitis, there is never difficulty breathing. However, it is too early for parents to “relax” - it also happens that laryngitis is only the beginning of croup. For example, at first the baby showed signs of inflammation of the larynx, but he breathed freely, and a day later he began to choke on inspiration - this means that laryngitis smoothly turned into croup.

Why is it difficult for a child to breathe with a false croup:

due to swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx;
due to hypersecretion respiratory tract accumulates in the larynx a large number of mucus (which, during inflammation, is “produced” in a double volume);
due to muscle spasm of the larynx (especially strong in conditions when the child is scared and hurt);

An important note: if you, as a parent, are encountering croup for the first time and do not yet know how to behave and what to do, then with each acute attack of shortness of breath (which most often occurs at night, during sleep), you should call an emergency room for your child. help.

Features of the treatment of croup in children

1 Treatment of croup in children should begin with creating a comfortable and calm atmosphere for the baby. The fact is that when the baby is worried, nervous, panicked or afraid, the risk of a severe muscle spasm of the larynx (which can result in suffocation) increases many times over.
2 In addition to stress (which can provoke muscle spasm of the larynx), with croup, warm and dry air in the room where the child lives is extremely dangerous. Therefore (especially during an attack of shortness of breath and waiting for the arrival of an ambulance), it is necessary to provide the child with access to fresh, cool and moist air. Even if it's cold outside, open the windows and let fresh air into the room, after dressing the child warmly.

With croup, it is much more useful for a sick baby to breathe frosty air while sitting at home in a fur hat than to breathe dry and hot air, walking around the apartment in one diaper. For a child with croup who is really hard to breathe, the optimal microclimate in the room is: the temperature is not higher than 18 ° C, the humidity is 55-70%.

3 With croup, it is very important to observe a regimen of abundant drinking. Because the more the child drinks, the more liquid the blood and mucus become in his body. And if the mucus is liquid, then it will not accumulate in clots and clog the larynx.
4 At temperatures above 38 ° C, the child should be given antipyretic drugs - Paracetamol or Ibuprofen.
5 Since with a false croup in children, the vocal cords “fail” for some time due to inflammatory process in the larynx, ideally they should be disturbed and strained as little as possible. For this, the baby should observe voice rest for several days.
6 The tragic mistake of many parents who barely hear is the attempt to use expectorants. With any croup expectorant can lead to suffocation of the child. Namely: with croup, the larynx barely passes a small amount of air, provoking labored breathing and a barking cough. However, the very essence of expectorants for coughs is to further stimulate the production of sputum, that is, mucus. The narrow neck of the inflamed larynx simply cannot cope with such a “burden”, trying to cough up a large amount of sputum, and will be clogged.
7 Another strictest taboo for false croup in children is the use of steam inhalation. The reason for the prohibition is the same as when using mucolytics (expectorants): hot steam helps to swell dried crusts of mucus, increasing them in size. And accordingly, causing the risk of blockage of the larynx.

Croup prevention - better none than the wrong one

Parents of babies should understand and believe that frequent cereals (despite the viral nature of their origin) have nothing to do with weakened immunity and a weakened state of health of the child.

False croup, oddly enough, more often sick physically strong and healthy children

And this means that the prevention of croup is in no way associated with strengthening the immune system, especially with the help of any immunostimulants or immunomodulators.

Dr. E. O. Komarovsky: “Dear parents, please remember: no medicines, no pills can prevent the occurrence of croup!”

The only reasonable effective prevention cereals (as well as many other respiratory diseases in children) is the creation of comfortable, “healthy” everyday conditions for the child:

normal climate in the house (cool and humid);
an adequate wardrobe of the child (in any season - both in winter and in summer - it is extremely dangerous for a baby to overheat);
frequent walks in the fresh air;

False croup is a disease that is a lesion of the walls of the larynx. In adults, false croup is extremely rare, much more often, in terms of statistics, true croup is found in them.

The disease has another name: acute stenosing laryngotracheitis. But speaking in a language understandable to a person far from the world of medicine, false croup is a pathology in which a person experiences a severe attack of suffocation and this can end in death.

What is false croup

The term "croup" is translated from the Scottish language as "croak", the disease got its name thanks to characteristic symptom: barking, croaking cough. However, despite the fact that this feature is indeed included in clinical picture croup patients in most cases, it is not the main one.

The main symptom of croup is a violation of the breathing process, which, in case of improper or untimely assistance, can lead to death as a result of developed hypoxia (oxygen starvation).

Before considering what a false croup is, you should know how it differs from the true one.

With true croup, films form in the human airways, which are a significant physical barrier to normal air circulation. The provocateur of true croup is diphtheria, so true croup is sometimes called diphtheria.

False croup is a consequence of laryngeal edema against the background of an inflammatory process during a bacterial or viral infection (flu, pharyngitis, etc.)

Both true and false croup are dangerous conditions that can lead to suffocation.

In addition, in both cases, a sharp and severe attack of shortness of breath is a strong stress for a person, so it is important to know how and why this pathology arises and develops, how to avoid it, how to treat it, and how to properly provide first aid to a person with an attack.

Main causes and pathogenesis

False croup is not an independent disease, it is a pathology that accompanies a viral or bacterial infection.

The causes of false croup can be classified as follows:

In adults, a bacterial infection is more common as the cause of the development of a false croup.

Clinical picture

Symptoms of false croup begin with a strong "barking cough" in which little or no sputum is produced. Due to damage to the vocal cords, a person develops hoarseness or even complete aphonia (lack of voice) and stridor - a pronounced whistle during the breathing process.

It is by the severity of the stridor that we can talk about how badly the edema affected the mucous membrane of the larynx.

The symptoms of false croup include signs of the underlying disease that provoked an attack of suffocation: heat, intoxication, sore throat, rhinitis.

Considering the fact that adult patients are more likely to experience croup due to a bacterial infection than a viral one, the signs of false croup are distinguished by a brighter and broader clinical picture.

The development of an attack proceeds in the form of 4 stages, while they can replace each other very quickly, and the time interval from the first to the last stage will take only a few hours.

Stages of development of the disease

The development of an attack of false croup directly correlates with the prevalence of edema: first, it narrows the lumen of the larynx, then it affects the vocal cords, then it involves other body systems (nervous, cardiovascular), suffering from a lack of oxygen.

The onset of an attack of false croup indicates a violation of the breathing process only when physical activity or great excitement. Reflexively seeking to compensate for hypoxia in the body, a person changes the depth and rhythm of breathing: his inhalation becomes longer, and his exhalation is short, with strong wheezing and whistles.
At the second stage, suffocation begins already in a state of complete rest of a person. If you look at his diaphragm during the breathing process, you will notice that the space between the ribs and the jugular cavity are drawn inward during inspiration. Due to the lack of oxygen, the heart begins to work faster, so by feeling the pulse, the patient can detect tachycardia. The skin around the mouth brightens and then acquires a blue tint.
In the third stage, the difficulty in the breathing process is aggravated even more, when inhaling, the area under the diaphragm (epigastric zone) is strongly drawn in, and at the exit - a barking cough. Due to swelling of the larynx, the patient develops dysphonia, because of which he can only speak in a whisper. Hypoxia of the body leads to damage to the central nervous system, as a result of which an attack of strong emotional arousal is replaced by sudden lethargy, drowsiness.
During the fourth stage of false croup, wheezing on exhalation and a barking cough disappear completely. Breath becomes weak and surfaces blood pressure and the pulse falls, confusion of consciousness is gradually replaced by coma. If a person is not brought out of a coma with the help of urgent medical measures, the likelihood of death is very high.

The sooner a person is provided with adequate health care, the lower the risk of developing severe hypoxia and associated adverse effects.

Diagnostic methods

The first step must be carried out differential diagnosis to exclude the presence of true croup, provoked by diphtheria. For this, the following is carried out:

examination of the patient's larynx, in order to detect dense films there (typical for true croup) or edema (typical for false croup);
a swab from the throat to determine the causative agent of the disease (including diphtheria).

In addition to diphtheria, it is important to exclude the following pathologies:

allergic edema;
pharyngeal abscess;
bronchial asthma;
the presence of a foreign body in the respiratory tract;
tumors in the throat.

During the examination, the doctor listens to the patient's lungs, collects an anamnesis about comorbidities, events preceding the attack, and medications taken.

First aid

Emergency care for false croup is a set of measures that can save the patient's life. Most often, the attack occurs at night, when the patient is in a horizontal position, so you need to act immediately.

First of all, you need to call an ambulance service, which will help relieve the attack quickly and efficiently, and then, most likely, hospitalize the patient. But before the arrival of the team of doctors as part of first aid for false croup, the following measures must be taken:

remove any tight clothing from the patient;
ensure the flow of fresh air into the room (open a window, window);
humidify the air to facilitate the breathing process using a special device or water containers placed throughout the room;
give the patient a drink;
when breathing stops, press on the root of the tongue, induce vomiting;
to give antihistamine if the patient cannot swallow the pill, make an injection (Prednisolone, Suprastin, Ruzam).

It is important to reassure the patient, since stress only exacerbates the symptoms of an attack, to let him know that urgent care with croup already rendered, the attack will soon pass, there is no danger to life.

After the arrival of the doctors, you need to inform the team about all the drugs that were used as first aid measures.

Treatment Methods

The treatment of false croup takes place in a hospital: this allows the use of more effective methods of treatment, as well as in the event of a repeated attack, instantly render needed help.

Treatment of false croup at home is possible if the attack was stopped for early stage and the person is feeling well.

The main emphasis is on etiological therapy, that is, on the treatment of the disease that caused such serious complication as a respiratory disorder. For this, antibiotics and antiviral agents are used.

You can choose the exact drug after laboratory diagnostics(blood test, examination of a throat swab), but before the results of the studies, the doctor prescribes a mutually compatible complex of broad-spectrum drugs.

To stop and prevent seizures, it is necessary to eliminate edema in the larynx. With great success, glucocorticosteroids, for example, Prednisolone, are used for this.

This drug has a wide spectrum side effects, but, given the short course of therapy, one should hardly be afraid of the development of undesirable consequences of drug treatment.

Symptomatic treatment is carried out with the help of inhalations, which relieve inflammation from the mucous membrane of the throat and vocal cords, and also facilitate the breathing process.

Inhalation with cold vapor, carried out using a nebulizer, is considered safe. The device is filled with normal saline, alkaline mineral water or Naphthyzinum.

Considering the fact that excitement exacerbates the symptoms of the disease and provokes the development of a new attack, light sedatives may be recommended to the patient.

Since attacks mainly occur at night, a person may develop a neurosis, as a result of which he will be afraid to go to bed. Properly selected sedatives will eliminate this problem.

A special diet is also prescribed with the necessary amount of calories, vitamins and trace elements, which helps the body recover faster after the disease.

Thus, the answer to the question of what to do with false croup includes both first aid and etiological treatment the underlying disease, the dynamics of which will not allow the development of an asthma attack, life-threatening.

In babies, false croup occurs quite often, so mothers need to know about it. Only parents can notice the first signs of narrowing of the larynx in time and help the child in time.

False croup is a condition in which it becomes difficult for a child to breathe due to narrowing of the airways. Reason - viral infections. In children under 5-6 years of age, the airways are narrower than in adults, and therefore croup develops much more often.
If a baby with a cold has a "barking" cough and a hoarse voice, it is necessary that he breathe steam over hot water in the bathroom. If this does not help, and the breath becomes noisy and difficult, call an ambulance without stopping the inhalation of steam.

What is false croup?

Croup is difficulty in breathing due to constriction of the larynx. To feel where the larynx is, you can put your hand on the front of the neck and make any sound - the larynx will vibrate.

This part of the airway is quite narrow, and if the mucous membrane swells, it can completely block the lumen of the larynx, and air will not enter the lungs. In children under 5-6 years of age, the airways are narrower than in adults, and therefore croup develops much more often.

Unlike false, true croup begins with diphtheria, when the lumen of the larynx is blocked by dense films. Thanks to vaccinations (DPT, ADS-M), this disease, fortunately, has become rare.

The cause of false croup is acute viral infections (for example, parainfluenza virus or respiratory syncytial virus). The mucous membrane becomes inflamed, swells, and although films do not form, as in diphtheria, the result is the same - it is difficult for the child to breathe.

How does it all start?

Usually, the usual symptoms of acute respiratory infections first appear, that is, a runny nose, cough, and fever. The first signs of the proximity of a false croup arise or intensify in the evening - this is a growing dry "barking" cough and a hoarse voice.

Then the breath becomes "noisy" - at first only during crying or anxiety, that is, when the baby breathes deeper and faster. After a while, these symptoms persist even in a calm state.

With croup, it is difficult for a baby to inhale, that is, the inhalation turns out to be noisy, with effort, and the exhalation remains normal. During inhalation, you can notice how the jugular fossa (depression in the lower part of the neck between the collarbones) is drawn inward.

Can false croup be prevented?

There are pathogens that most often cause croup: parainfluenza virus, influenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus. If a child has contracted this particular infection, the risk of developing croup is high, and, unfortunately, there are no remedies that protect against it.

There are children who tolerate colds without this complication, but in some the mucous membrane is more prone to edema, and if there has already been one episode of difficulty in breathing with ARI, such conditions are likely to be repeated. Parents need to be ready for them - until the child grows up, and the croup ceases to threaten him.

What to do with false croup?

If you notice its signs, first of all, you need to calm yourself and the child, because when you are excited, the muscles of the larynx contract, and it becomes even harder to breathe.

With a "barking" cough, as long as breathing is silent and not difficult, steam inhalation can help. Turn on hot water in the bathroom, let the child breathe in moist air for a few minutes.

If this does not help, and it becomes difficult to breathe (noisy breath, retraction of the jugular fossa), call an ambulance and continue to do steam inhalation until it arrives. The doctor will prescribe special inhalations with a local hormonal preparation for croup. Don't let the word "hormonal" scare you, because this drug works only in the respiratory tract, eliminating inflammation, and no other medicine for false croup will not be so effective. In severe cases, the doctor will inject a hormone (prednisolone or dexamethasone) intramuscularly. Don't worry about side effects, because short courses of hormones are safe, and in such situations they save lives.

If you are offered to hospitalize your child, do not refuse, because after temporary relief, breathing problems may recur.

There are conditions that can be confused with false croup, such as inflammation of the epiglottis (cartilage that closes the larynx when swallowing). This disease is called epiglottitis: the child's temperature rises above 39 degrees, there is strong pain in the throat, with difficulty opening the mouth, and hormonal preparations the child is not helped.

With inflammation of the epiglottis, the child is admitted to the hospital and treated with antibiotics. But this disease is rare, and false croup is caused by viruses, so it makes no sense to take antibiotics.

Is it possible to interrupt an attack of croup on your own?

If false croup in a child does not occur for the first time, you can take home a special device for inhalation - a nebulizer (choose a compressor model, since ultrasound can destroy drugs used for croup). Your doctor will tell you what medication to have at home and how much to use if needed.

The child may return to Kindergarten immediately, as soon as the body temperature returns to normal and the baby will feel good.

By itself, laryngitis and laryngotracheitis do not pose a serious danger, but in some cases they are complicated by bouts of false croup. Acute stenosing laryngotracheitis or - a disease that occurs in children from six months to two or three years. Until now, the mortality from this disease is quite high. Often, mothers are simply lost when a child has an attack of stenosis, they lose precious minutes, not being able to recognize the onset of the disease in time, or, of course, provide the necessary assistance.

Basic terms to make it clear:

Stenosis and obstruction- in this case, they mean the very narrowing of the subglottic space, which is caused by mucosal edema.
Auxiliary muscles are the muscles that healthy condition are not involved in respiration. They begin to participate in breathing only in case of difficulty. Accessory muscles include the wings of the nose, abdominal muscles, intercostal muscles, and muscles in the collarbone region.
Inspiratory dyspnea- difficulty breathing.
false croup- this is an edema of the mucous membrane below the vocal cords, which has a viral or bacterial-viral origin.

The younger the child, the more severe this disease is. Of course, there may be exceptions. The occurrence of laryngeal edema is facilitated by the characteristics of the child's body. The glottis in children is narrow, its muscles get tired easily (even after a cry), the vocal cords and mucous membrane are tender, their blood supply is very good, which determines the tendency to edema and the occurrence of stenosis (narrowing) of the larynx.

False croup has also been described in infants and older children. Laryngeal edema can be both the first manifestation of the disease, and a "gift" on the "tail" of the underlying disease. This condition can occur against the background of any body temperature. The attack, as a rule, occurs at night in the morning. There may be a recurrence of an attack after treatment. There are children who accompany each infection with attacks of suffocation. Most often, false croup can be expected from allergic children.

The disease is caused, as a rule, by viruses, and develops gradually, over several days.

False croup: how to suspect?

False croup develops most often suddenly, at night. A child may go to bed apparently quite healthy, and at night completely unexpectedly wake up excited, with bouts of loud "barking" cough.

In addition, there is hoarseness of voice, shortness of breath. Already at a distance, a whistling labored breath is heard, which, in turn, causes tension in the auxiliary respiratory muscles, nostrils flaring, tension in the muscles of the child's neck.

The skin, during an asthma attack, becomes bluish, the heart rate increases. The body temperature most often does not exceed 38ºС. An asthma attack lasts an average of 30 minutes to 2 hours and gradually disappears.

signs mild form edema appear mainly with crying and anxiety. There is a "barking" cough, an elongated noisy breath, without the participation of auxiliary muscles. In a calm state, shortness of breath weakens, but noisy breathing persists.

At medium degree expressiveness false croup in a child, the above symptoms complement the marked excitement, sweating, marbled pattern skin. Auxiliary muscles take part in the act of breathing (the wings of the nose swell, tension of the neck muscles occurs).

When the glottis becomes even narrower, the so-called decompensated stenosis, the condition of the child is serious. Inhalation at rest is noisy, prolonged, labored. The skin is pale with an earthy tint, covered with cold sweat, persistent cyanotic color of the tip of the nose, lips, fingers. Excitation is replaced by lethargy, periodically the baby shudders. In very severe cases, loss of consciousness and respiratory arrest may occur.

ATTENTION! If your child has a bout of "barking" cough and difficulty breathing, call the doctor immediately.

urgent first aid with stenosis:

1. Try to calm the child by removing extra people from the room. The groaning of grandmothers will only frighten the baby, and it will be easier for you when you are left alone with the child.

2. While you are taking care of the baby, have someone call an ambulance.
(Be sure to call an ambulance team for any degree of stenosis. Only a doctor can say for sure that your child has a false croup, and not an attack bronchial asthma, pneumonia or foreign body in the airways.)

3. Let the child breathe in cool, humidified air if possible. Be sure to ventilate the room where the child is. Cold air reduces swelling of the mucous membranes. To do this, wrap the baby and you can go to the window or go out onto the balcony, breathe through the open window. In the summer, you can open the freezer door and try to take a few breaths there. Remember - without fanaticism - sharply cold air when moving a child from a deliberately warm room to a very cold one, on the contrary, can cause reflex sasm of the larynx (narrowing of the airways) and aggravate the course of the disease.

4. Be sure to give the child any allergy remedy available at home: suprastin, fenkarol, diphenhydramine. In an emergency, you can give the child a whole pill, regardless of age. Give half a pill - it won't get any worse. One-time use of an increased dose of the drug for allergies will not bring harm. Antiallergic drugs help reduce swelling and limit the area of its spread.

5. If there is an inhaler in the house ( nebulizer), you can carry out inhalation with a 0.05% solution of naphthyzinum, lasting up to 5 minutes.

To prepare an inhalation solution, a 0.05% drug should be diluted with saline in a ratio of 1:5 (per 1 ml of the drug 5 ml of saline) or a 0.1% drug should be diluted in a ratio of 1:10 (per 1 ml of the drug 10 ml saline).

To relieve edema, 2 ml of the resulting solution is inhaled once, if necessary, the procedure is repeated.

Be careful, such inhalations are fraught with an overdose of naphthyzinum. This method should be used only in extreme cases.

6. Do not force bed rest on your child. The child himself knows what position of the body at the moment will make it possible to facilitate breathing.

7. Give warm alkaline drink. It can be milk or mineral water. Can be added to milk baking soda on the tip of a knife. It is better not to give hot drinks because it causes additional swelling of the soft tissues of the throat and irritates the mucous membranes. The optimal temperature of the liquid is the one that is pleasant for the child. Children themselves feel the need to drink and, as a rule, do not refuse. It is better to give liquid in small portions after 5-10 minutes. A large amount of alcohol drunk can provoke vomiting at the height of a coughing fit.

In any case, even if you managed to relieve an attack of false croup on your own, do not leave the child without medical supervision, call the local doctor. If you are offered hospitalization - do not refuse. Or you can boldly insist on hospitalization for observation. Often, attacks of false croup tend to recur for short periods of time.

Prevention of false croup:

In the room where the sick baby is located, the air should be warm, fresh, humidified, but not damp.

Be sure to give your child antihistamine (anti-allergic) drugs at a time when he is sick. This will help, if not avoid, then reduce the risk of occurrence and severity of an attack of false croup.