Turpentine baths

Croup, true and false


Croup - is a contagious infectious disease. As a rule, caused by viruses, in rare cases - bacteria.Croup causes a spasmodic narrowing (stenosis) of larynx. Most often seen at the age of 1-5 years.Distinguish true and false croup. True - only occurs when you Diphtheria, false - the flu, acute respiratory diseases and many other states.


True croup | patient diphtheria appears hoarseness, rough "barking" cough, shortness of breath. All the phenomena of the disease is increasing rapidly. Hoarseness is enhanced up to the complete loss of voice, and in the late first - early second week of the disease develops respiratory distress due to the fact that the airways become blocked purulent films. Breathing becomes audible at a distance, the child turns blue, tossing in bed, quickly weakens, cardiac activity decreases, and if timely assistance is not provided, death may occur. At the first manifestations should be called "first aid". Cases of diphtheria in our time are extremely rare, because the kids are doing vaccinated against diphtheria.


False croup | There is a children against respiratory viral infection (influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus infection). Can he develop and the chickenpox or measles. False croup (now called stenosing laryngotracheitis) suffer more often from children to four years, but it is found and in infants and in older children. The younger the child, the more severe the disease is. A particularly dangerous false croup for infants, it is one of the main causes of infant mortality in this age group.


False croup develops in the presence of influenza, acute respiratory infections, measles, scarlet fever, chicken pox sores and other states, there are shortness of breath, "barking" cough, hoarseness. Often these phenomena are the first signs of the disease. In contrast to diphtheria croup, shortness of breath appears suddenly. Most often, a child sleeping lozhivshiysya healthy or with a slight cold, suddenly wakes up at night, it marked a rough "barking" cough, may develop asthma. If false croup is almost never comes complete loss of voice.The phenomena of asphyxia can quickly walk or take a few hours.Seizures may recur for the next day.


Has developed the first false croup may be the only episode in the life of a child. But, unfortunately, often happens that a large repeated again and again. There is a category of children who have stenosis of the larynx occurs at every cold, every time the very mild infection. At risk children are emotional, excitable, with an allergic predisposition. The boys of cereals is more common than in girls. By 6.8 years of cereals, as a rule, terminate - their child is literally "grows" as the lumen of the larynx becomes wider, and its swelling is not dangerous for life.


Croup can be confused with asthma due to contact with a foreign body, but in this case, the child can not speak. In croup it is stored in a child, though his voice may become hoarse or squeaky. Sometimes confused with croup attack of asthma, and it is important to know the following: the rump breathing - labored and noisy, and the breath is almost inaudible. It can be very frightening parents - it seems that the child tries to draw the air, but not breathing. Asthma, on the contrary - breathe freely, and labored breath, wheezing.


Another rare but very dangerous disease, which can be mistaken for croup - epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis). Just as in croup, the child wakes in the night, overcome by panic fear. In contrast to croup, epiglottitis is not barking cough, the child is experiencing severe pain in the throat, but can not speak. His speech was incoherent, he raves, the temperature rises to 102-104 ° F (39-40 ° C). Characteristic posture of the child, he tries to sit down, the head stretched forward, tongue protruding. Under no circumstances can change the position of the baby's head and apply pressure to the language in an attempt to examine the throat - that you can instantly cut off his airway. Epiglottitis can not be cured with home remedies, you should immediately call the "fast".
What to do if your child first signs of false croup?
First of all - to pull myself together and not panic. Please be aware of your speed and depends very much self-control. How can we help your child? Your task - to calm the baby! In crying, excited children strained neck muscles, and this is exacerbated his condition, breathing becomes more difficult.
Allow access to fresh air - open windows.
Allow your child to take a comfortable position for him, do not change the position of his head violently.
Make your child a steam inhalation, the best alkaline. If you have an inhaler, prepare a hot soda solution (1 teaspoon of baking soda per liter of boiling water, add 5 drops of vegetable oil). If the inhaler does not, arrange a "pair" in the bathroom. Put in a bath full capacity hot water, pour back a pack of soda. Go to the bathroom with the baby and breathe hot steam. The baby is not frightened, bring a toy, a book. In many cases, this "guy" is more effective than an inhaler.
It is sometimes possible to remove the attack with the help of cold air, would relegate the child wrapped in a blanket on the street or on the balcony.
It is important to "unsolder" a child with croup little and often, the warm liquid, such as tea, protects from dehydration and facilitates thinning mucus in the airways.
You can make your child warm foot bath and hand (if he does not have temperature - above 100 ° F (37.5 ° C).
Sometimes, to clear the airway of the child from the sputum, it is necessary to induce vomiting - it click the blunt end of a spoon on the tongue.





Regardless of the cause of the disease, the following happens: when you inhale the air irritates the mucous membrane, which causes muscle contraction - narrowing of the larynx - and breathing difficulty. The mucous membrane of the larynx becomes inflamed and OTE ¬ AET, and because young children are very narrow lumen of the larynx, the decrease in it due to edema, even at 1 mm causes shortness of breath. As a result of narrowing of the larynx and vocal cord lesions appear rough hoarse voice, and "barking" cough.


An attack of croup can be repeated the next night, so you should podezhurit near the baby. Then another two or three nights to sleep better in his room.


Experienced parents who already have skills in removing the child's asthma attack, and exactly confident that they are dealing with croup is usually just give the child an antihistamine to relieve swelling. In families where a child has a predisposition to croup, gradually produced the ability to cope with it without the hospital and paid great attention to prevention.


In such families, the house always has an inhaler.Usually inhaled start doing at the first sign of the characteristic breathing, often it helps to prevent croup. However, inhalation of hot steam is contraindicated in children with high temperature - above 100 ° F (37.5 ° C). Priority is given to the "cold" inhalers.
Should be called "fast" if:
child to breathe heavily;
He is restless;
temperature exceeds 103 ° F (39.5 ° C);
Parents fear for the life of a baby;
child is difficult to swallow;
constantly drools;
are blue lips or fingernails;
He pulls the chest;
breathing for more than 80 breaths per minute.
It is strictly forbidden:
put mustard;
apply rubbing, containing essential oils and have a sharp smell (they can cause a reflex spasm of the muscles of the larynx);
give your baby honey, raspberry jam, citrus juices (they can contribute to increased edema, especially in allergic subjects);
give your child medications that suppress the cough (cough performs a protective function, and it should not be suppressed, and encourage).
Prophylaxis


Of course, we can not fully protect your child from viruses, but it is possible to do hardening and tonic events occur in an allergist.


At night you can give your child an antihistamine, which will remove the swelling and will not let happen to attack.


There is a group of children with false croup occurs for any cold. These are children with a tendency to allergic reactions, increased nervous excitability, with lymphoid proliferation in the nose and throat (enlarged adenoids and tonsils), from an early age deprived of mother's milk.


Such children should be protected from infectious diseases, to pay great attention to tempering procedures, by all means to improve the immune system. And when the first signs of colds to take urgent measures to prevent the development of croup. Necessary to humidify the air in a child in the room, it's best, with the help of a humidifier, more air, to carry out wet cleaning. This is especially useful at night if the child is breathing by mouth, and he is constantly dry throat. Humidity should stay within 50-60 percent. We recommend a warm alkaline water and expectorant medicines, allergy medications, and vitamin C. But it is especially important for parents not to drive the self into a state of stress and often wise to remember the saying of Solomon: "This too shall pass."


Elena Kats