Croup is potentially a serious respiratory problem that affects young children. In mild croup, the main symptom is a "barking" cough. In moderate croup, there's hoarseness along with the barking cough. In serve cases, the child has breathing problems significant enough to cause retractions (inward motion of the muscles between the ribs), cyanosis (blueness of the lips and under the finger nails), and even an altered mental status. If the disease gets worse, a breathing tube may need to be inserted into the child's lungs.
When the disease progresses beyond the mild stage, steroids are an important part of the treatment. Often treatment with steroids will result in a rapid resolution of the breathing problems.
Dexamethasone, the steroid used to treat croup, can be given orally or as an injection. In settings where the child is having moderate to severe symptoms, the medicine is often given by injection. The rationale is that since it will be more quickly absorbed and it will work faster.
To test the validity of this commonly held belief, 277 children with moderate croup treated in an emergency room were randomized to receive either an oral or intramuscular injection of the drug. The children were followed for 48-72 hours. If the child needed additional treatment, then they were considered a treatment failure.
There was no difference in the effectiveness of the two treatments The child who received the medicine by mouth did just as well as those who got it by injection.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Pediatrics for Parents, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
Contact
Home
A
Angioedema