Scientific definition:

• It is a common viral infection in children that affects the upper respiratory tract at the level of the vocal cords and larynx.
• It results in a dry, sharp, barking cough and difficulty swallowing and breathing. It may be accompanied by fever, but in most cases, it is fever-free.
• Most cases occur at night or at dawn, and the condition may recur in some children.

Causes:

• The main cause of this disease is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract at the level of the vocal cords and larynx. The most important of these viruses is parainfluenza virus (1, 2, and 3), which accounts for 75% of cases.
• Other viruses include influenza viruses (A, B, adenovirus, RSV, and measles). These viruses cause 20% of cases, and in rare cases, the cause is bacterial.

Age and Gender:

• Most cases occur in children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years, with the majority occurring by the age of 24 months.
• The number of patients increases in the fall and early winter.
  Males are more affected than females.

Symptoms

• Symptoms often begin as a runny nose or a mild cough, which within a few days develops into a severe, barking, dry cough, especially at night.
• The disease may be accompanied by fever, but most cases are fever-free.
• Change in voice – a barking voice.
• Difficulty swallowing and breathing.

Complications:

• Most cases are mild or moderate with few complications.
• Severe cases require hospitalization, and the patient may require mechanical ventilation, which is very rare.
• Other complications include pneumonia and otitis media.

Treatment:

• Most cases can be treated at home with analgesics such as paracetamol, steaming the bathroom, or using a steamer.
• Moderate and severe cases require emergency treatment.
• Administer humidified oxygen.
• Administer a steam infusion of adrenaline and saline every half hour, repeated two to three times.
• Administer an intramuscular injection of Dexamethasone.
• Send the child home after their condition improves. We may advise the mother to administer a steam infusion of saline with Pulmicort (3 ml saline + 1 ml Pulmicort) every 12 hours for three days.

We wish all children a speedy recovery.