Croup Pathway :: North East and North Cumbria Healthier Together

We’ll monitor them closely throughout treatment to reduce the chance of these happening. This leaflet has been produced to give you general information about your child’s condition. It is not intended to replace the discussion between you and your child’s doctor, but may act as a starting point for discussion. If after reading it you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team caring for your child.

• In severe cases of croup, treatment in hospital may be required.
• However, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you’re trying to get pregnant.
• NIHR Evidence is managed by NIHR with a funding contribution from Health and Care Research Wales, Welsh Government.

After completing his post graduation in Paediatrics from Mumbai University in India, he obtained higher specialist training from East Midlands deanery in Nottingham. He has over 20 years of experience in Paediatrics and is well liked by his patients and parents. Corticosteroids reduce symptoms of croup in children within two hours and continue to do so for at least 24 hours. They also cut the amount of time children spend in hospital by 15 hours and reduce return visits or readmissions from about 20% to 10%.

Dexamethasone tablets and liquid – Brand names: Neofordex, Glensoludex, Martapan

In most children this resolves spontaneously but in some children, steroids might be needed. It is important to keep the child calm and avoid upsetting the child. Usually, a steroid called dexamethasone is prescribed at a dose of 0.15mg/kg once. Sometimes we use steroid nebulisers or injections if necessary.

• However, croup can sometimes develop in babies as young as three months, and older children up to 15 years of age.
• In severe croup you will hear a rasping or whistling noise when your child breathes in.
• Primary and secondary schools have an allocated school nurse.
• Intestinal obstruction is an important cause of the acute abdomen, accounting for up to 5% of emergency admissions to surgical services.

Croup usually affects young children aged between six months and three years, with most cases occurring in one-year-olds. Children with croup have a distinctive barking cough and will make a harsh sound, known https://sportviseuebenfica.org as stridor, when they breathe in. Health visitors are nurses or midwives who are passionate about promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing illness through the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme.

When should I give dexamethasone

You don’t need an appointment, and many have private consultation areas. Your pharmacist will say if you need further medical attention. Your child may become irritable and have mood swings, and even revert to earlier childhood behaviour, such as temper tantrums. Any they do encounter are temporary and will stop when the course is complete.

Croup is an acute respiratory illness causing inflammation and narrowing of the subglottic region of the larynx. If your child is well enough to go home, the steroids they have had will continue to work for several hours. However, croup symptoms could return at any time, especially during the night.

It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals and deemed accurate on the date of review. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition. Your child needs to be closely monitored while on steroid treatment, which may include checking their weight, blood pressure and urine. Your GP surgery, local hospital or local community nurses will usually run these check ups.

As part of your child’s care, information about your child will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your child’s information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. In the early phase, patients may present similarly to croup however there is a failure to respond or only transient response to steroids/nebulised adrenaline and the condition worsens.

Children have a small functional residual lung capacity with little respiratory reserve. In times of increased oxygen demand and an increased metabolic demand, children can decompensate quickly. Croup is a syndrome consisting of cough, stridor, hoarseness and varying degrees of difficulty breathing.

There is no difference in efficacy between oral and intramuscular dexamethasone. An equivalence trial demonstrated a re-presentation rate of 29% in the prednisolone group compared to 7% in the dexamethasone group [17]. Oral dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg has been shown to be superior to prednisolone at a dose of 1 mg/kg. However, Adrenaline does allow time for an experienced team including a senior anaesthetist to be gathered as well as rapidly improving the patient’s distress.

Check if your child has croup

Intestinal obstruction is an important cause of the acute abdomen, accounting for up to 5% of emergency admissions to surgical services. Young children can deteriorate quickly due to the smaller size of the airway. Full recovery with no long-term morbidity is expected in the vast majority of children.

This does not mean that it is unsafe for children and young people to be prescribed such a medicine ‘off-licence/off-label’. However, if you are concerned about any conflicts of information, please discuss with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. We collect and use your child’s information to provide your child with care and treatment.