Croup (Adjunctive Care)

Also known as: Croup, Laryngotracheobronchitis, Barking cough, Viral croup, Spasmodic croup

Croup is a viral infection of the upper airway in young children, causing a distinctive barking cough, hoarse voice and stridor (a harsh sound when breathing in), typically worse at night [1][2]. Most cases are mild and settle within a few days with calm reassurance and cool comfort measures, but moderate to severe croup needs medical care: oral steroids are the standard treatment and nebulised adrenaline is used in hospital for severe cases [1][2][3]. Croup is a condition of infants and toddlers, most common between six months and three years; breathing difficulty in a child is always taken seriously [1][2]. In Chinese medicine croup corresponds to acute Wind-Heat or Wind-Cold constraining the Lung with Phlegm obstructing the throat. Chinese medicine has no role in the acute management of breathing difficulty; adjunctive care is limited to gentle support during recovery once the child is medically stable, and even then, paediatric tuina (massage) is preferred over needling in young children [1][4].