File:Croup_steeple_sign.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
croup
Sign in to saveAlso known as laryngotracheobronchitis, acute laryngotracheobronchitis, acute obstructive laryngitis, croup syndrome
Croup ( ), also known as croupy cough, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms of "barking/brassy" cough, inspiratory stridor, and a hoarse voice. Fever and runny nose may also be present. These symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe. It often starts or is worse at night and normally lasts one to two days.
Croup is a viral respiratory infection that causes swelling in the windpipe, leading to a distinctive barking cough, noisy breathing, and hoarse voice, sometimes accompanied by fever and a runny nose. While symptoms can range from mild to severe and often worsen at night, the condition typically resolves within one to two days.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition.name
- Croup
- Medical condition.synonyms
- Croupy cough, subglottic laryngitis, obstructive laryngitis, laryngotracheobronchitis
- Medical condition.image
- Croup steeple sign.jpg
- Medical condition.caption
- The steeple sign as seen on an AP neck X-ray of a child with croup
- Medical condition.field
- Pediatrics
- Medical condition.symptoms
- "Barky" cough, stridor, fever, stuffy nose
- Medical condition.duration
- Usually 1–2 days but can last up to 7 days
- Medical condition.causes
- Mostly viral
- Medical condition.diagnosis
- Based on symptoms
- Medical condition.differential
- Epiglottitis, airway foreign body, bacterial tracheitis
- Medical condition.prevention
- Influenza and diphtheria vaccination
- Medical condition.medication
- Corticosteroids, epinephrine
- Medical condition.frequency
- 15% of children at some point
- Medical condition.deaths
- Rare
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
2,428 papers- Recurrent Croup.ReviewPediatric clinics of North America · 2022Quraishi H, Lee DJDOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2021.12.004
- Croup: Diagnosis and Management.American family physician · 2018Smith DK, McDermott AJ, Sullivan JF
- Viral croup: diagnosis and a treatment algorithm.ReviewPediatric pulmonology · 2014Petrocheilou A, Tanou K, Kalampouka E et al.DOI: 10.1002/ppul.22993
- Croup and Epiglottitis.ReviewPediatrics in review · 2025Shlomovich M, Hyatt S, Cassel-Choudhury GNDOI: 10.1542/pir.2024-006420
- Croup.BMJ clinical evidence · 2014Johnson DW
- Croup.ReviewPediatric pulmonology · 1997Geelhoed GCDOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0496(199705)23:5<370::aid-ppul9>3.0.co;2-o
- Croup.ReviewPaediatric nursing · 2002Chandler TDOI: 10.7748/paed.14.7.41.s23
- Croup.ReviewCanadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2008Worrall G
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- disease
- Image
- Croup steeple sign.jpg
Show 10 more facts
- possible treatment
- steroid
- medical examination
- radiography
- Commons category
- Croup
- symptoms and signs
- stridor
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C26735
- health specialty
- pediatrics
- exact match
- identifiers.org/doid/DOID:9395
- ICD-9-CM
- 464.4
- on focus list of Wikimedia project
- WikiProject Medicine
- P8168
- Pieter Meulener
Sources (7)
via Wikidata · CC0
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
19 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Causes
- Viral
- Bacteria and cocci
- Pathophysiology
- Diagnosis
- Severity
- Prevention
- Treatment
- Supportive care
- Steroids
- Epinephrine
- Oxygen
- Other
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- History
- References
- External links
Croup ( ), also known as croupy cough, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms of "barking/brassy" cough, inspiratory stridor, and a hoarse voice. Fever and runny nose may also be present. These symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe. It often starts or is worse at night and normally lasts one to two days.
Croup can be caused by a number of viruses including parainfluenza and influenza virus. Rarely is it due to a bacterial infection. Croup is typically diagnosed based on signs and symptoms after potentially more severe causes, such as epiglottitis or an airway foreign body, have been ruled out. Further investigations, such as blood tests, X-rays and cultures, are usually not needed.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “croup” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.