info on crupe?

Question

my roommates 18 month old has crupe. i don't know much about the virus, but i do not want my 10 month old to get sick. i am going to stay at my moms for a few days. does anyone know anything about crupe? what i can do to prevent my son from getting it, and how long i should stay away...

Answer 1

"Croup" is a viral infection that attacks the bronchial passage way in young children. At night it can be extremely difficult for them to breathe. My two little ones (1 and 3) seem to be prone to getting it. Each time I've had to take them to the hospital (at night since that's when it's the worst) and they have have been given a steroid to help shrink the swelling of their air passage way as well as Albuterol (not sure of the spelling) in a nebulizer. Tell your roommate to sleep in the same room as her llittle one so that she can keep an eye on him/her. If the baby has difficulty breathing, she will have to take him to the hospital for treatment. Croup is HIGHLY contagious so good that you are taking your baby to your mom's. The virus is contagious for 48 hours.

mb

Answer 2

Croup is a viral infection (caused by a virus) which usually causes a bad cold with swelling in the trachea (windpipe) which then leads to a characteristically "barky" cough. In adults it often causes only a cold. Like most viral upper respiratory conditions, 7-14 days of illness is typical.

Croup is rarely serious. Only if the infection causes severe swelling of the airway (and therefore, trouble breathing) do kids end up in the hospital.

Croup is spread like colds, by contact with secretions. So if your 10 month old has not been in contact with the child with croup, (or its parents if they are sick with cold-like symptoms), then you should be OK. Good handwashing can prevent spread of the illness. If the child has been exposed, there is no cause for alarm. Just have tylenol or ibuprofen handy, and a vaporizer or humidifier to help ease symptoms. Seek medical attention if the child has any difficulty breathing, pale in color, or severe cough.

Learn more here:
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw31906

Answer 3

Croup is a common respiratory problem characterized by a harsh, barking cough. Croup often happens with a cold and most cases are caused by human parainfluenza viruses types I and II. Croup itself is not contagious, but the virus that causes the cold is. Your baby has already been exposed to that virus and your son may get the cold, but not necessarily the croup. Like any virus, you can not prevent your son from getting it. It wouldn't be necessary to stay at your mom's to prevent your baby from getting Croup. Your roommate's baby will probably have about 3 bad days of the barking cough which will probably be worse at night, so that may be the only reason to stay away, is to not be bothered by the cough and to allow the little one who is sick to have as much quiet as possible to get well quickly.

Answer 4

Croup is a viral infection of the trachea. It can sometimes be bacterial (which requires hospitalization and antibiotics) but that's rare. The rings that make up the trachea become infected, and as a result, a person with croup has a sharp, barking cough, usually at night. Sometimes the child can wheeze, too. Sometimes if the cough gets really bad, the child's breathing can become labored...I forget what this is called...stridor, maybe? My older son used to get it quite frequently when he was in daycare. It never failed...he'd show signs of a cold, then a few days later, the cough (usually at night). When he got sick, I'd keep a cool mist humidifier running in his room 24/7 for about a week. When his cough was especially bad, I'd sit in the bathroom with him, shut the door, and turn on the shower as hot as I could get it and just sit there and breathe in the steam for as long as we could stand it. Then, I'd bundle him up and take him outside in the cold air for a few minutes. It's a horrible sounding cough, but croup is really pretty harmless. It usually goes away completely within 5 - 7 days, if the child is properly cared for. Since it's viral, there's no antibiotic or other medicine that cures it...it just has to run its course.

Answer 5

You cannot prevent your child from getting it. Crupe is the enlargement of the Plarynx. It can be dangerous but normally is not. I had one child that had it and the other never got it. I don't know if it is that contagious. Look that part up. But if your child ever does get it stock up on popsicles and you can also have them breath in the cool air of the freezer. Sounds weird I know but that is what Childrens Medical Center (Dallas) told me to do. IF they get get to bad take them to the er.

Answer 6

This is the internet.Type in:Crupe and wa bam.