The illness of Croup presents many croup cough symptoms of the respiratory nature. A child would have a characteristic barking cough and hoarse voice. During the early stages, symptoms of the common cold will also be observed. Kids are noticeable irritable as well. These croup cough symptoms usually get better at night and worse when he or she cries.
A harsh, barky cough is the result of laryngeal inflammation. As the larynx is also called the voice box, its affectation produces a seal or sea lion-like kind of coughing. This is also the basis of the child having hoarseness of the voice. Of course, when the part of the throat that is responsible for voice production is involved, it would definitely alter how an individual will sound.
Signs of the common cold could be seen in the early phase of croup cough symptoms – fever that is low-grade, a runny nose, sore or scratchy throat, and feeling of fatigue.
Fever is one of the croup cough symptoms that occurs as a reaction and a defensive mechanism of the body to infection. Whether the cause is viral or bacterial in nature, the person’s natural immunity sends in “fighters” to kill the microorganisms present in the system. Some of these fighters are the pyrogens and white blood cells. Pyrogens are heat-producing body substance that induces the fever. As the body gets warm, it thermally helps in killing the virus of bacteria. On the other hand, white blood cells directly combat the microorganisms. In this case, fever results from the chemical events produced from the biological ‘battles’.
Sore throat is another of the croup cough symptoms because the infection is located in that area. The surrounding tissues are inflamed which results to pain sensations. A kid will feel fatigued since all these bodily responses require the body to work harder and to consume more oxygen. And since accumulation of mucus in addition to the inflammation is present, the person with Croup has a hard time taking in air. If there is not enough air being inhaled, there would also be inadequate oxygen level in the system.
The young ones get easily irritated from the various things they are experiencing. These croup cough symptoms may be lessened or disappear at night as the colder weather relieves them, and gets worse from the child’s crying since it makes him or her consume more oxygen and energy.
Besides these common signs, a child with this disease may also experience croup cough symptoms of stridor, fast breathing and retractions.
Stridor is a high-pitched sound produced when an individual with a respiratory disorder breathes. In cases of Croup, an inspiratory (when a person inhales or breathes in) stridor is more common, although expiratory and biphasic (happens during both inhalation and exhalation) stridors could be encountered as well. This type of breathing is a result from the narrowing of the airway passages caused by the inflammation and mucus build-up.
The narrowed airways are also the basis for the croup cough symptoms of rapid breathing and retractions. A kid with this illness would breathe fast as a compensatory means to make up for the decreased intake of oxygen. Fast breathing is classified as 60 breaths per minute (bpm) for infants below 12 months, 50bpm for kids 12 months to 2 years old and 40bpm for children above 2 years old. Retractions are observed when an individual has difficulty in breathing too. The ribs or the bones that cover the lungs will be seen when a child inhales.
In severe instances of Croup wherein airway inflammation is significant, the kid will present bluish discoloration of body areas like the mouth. This is from a very poor supply of oxygen in the body.
The croup cough symptoms of inspiratory stridor, fast breathing and intercostal retractions are indications that the condition is worsening and requires the child to be brought to the hospital immediately.
It is important to be aware of these various croup cough symptoms, as it would help people recognize this condition and know the proper action and/or treatment.