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Recurrent croup
My 5 year old son has recurring croup. What tests do I run on him please and what specialist do I take him to? A pediatric ENT? Any natural remedies? -
6 Replies
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Hi – croup is a viral infection so if it’s recuring, definitely focus on supporting his immune status in general. Since the majority of our immune system lies in the gut, the health of his gut microbiome is key as it influences our immune system.
Does he complain of any GI symptoms that would indicate possible dysbiosis (imbalance in gut microbes) or issues with overall digestion? Has he taken a course or more of antibiotics in his young life without proper replenishment of fermented foods and/or probiotics? Does he complain of constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, etc? Let me know and I can recommend some tests based on your feedback.
I prefer avoiding blood tests with young kids, but testing immune nutrients vitamin D, vitamin A, and RBC zinc could help determine his levels and if supplementation is needed. But again, I prefer a food-first approach with children, and instead prefer recommending daily sun exposure (min 30 mins) and including more animal proteins (for zinc) or organ meats (for zinc and vitamin A). Cod liver oil supplementation can also provide a good dose of omega-3, vitamin A and vitamin D. It can be added to smoothies or juice/lemon to help mask the taste.
In the event he does get sick, here’s the go-to protocol I use for my kids to help support overall immune function.
Now for croup specifically, homeopathy works brilliantly as well. Here’s a great article sharing which remedy to use depending on the situation, and how to administer it.
You can also look at this herbal blend formula which is designed for chronic coughs and chest congestion for children and adults. Steam baths and vaporizers are also helpful. Together with immune support, this should really help.
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Hey ,
In addition to Bernadette’s excellent advice, I would like to add that there is a distinction made between pseudo-croup and croup.
To make it more confusing, pseudo-croup is often called croup because it occurs much more often. With true croup (also called Diphteria – which is rare) you could see a greyish-white membrane in the throat or nose. This membrane can obstruct the airways and cause difficulty in breathing. The lymph nodes in the neck may become enlarged and tender as well.
With pseudo croup, the infection usually lasts a few days (3 to 5 usually) and the symptoms present in waves (often in the evenings). In the last few days symptoms are usually at their worst. Coughing could still continue for a couple of weeks, but eventually, this goes away as well.
If your gut tells you you should see a doctor, then definitely do so. The normal course is that the infection is well handled by most kids. Several viruses can cause croup (like influenza (flu), parainfluenza (the common cold) and some other viruses. Sometimes there are non-viral causes.
Seeing your kid can be quite disturbing especially when the coughing sounds harsh like a seal or dog or when the areas around the eyes turn red or when rashes are part of the symptoms.
Here are some do’s and dont’s with croup
• Coughing remedies don’t work.
• Make sure he gets plenty of liquids. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to lubricate the throat. It lessens the harmful effects of a cough on the airways. Staying hydrated can help ward off more severe croup symptoms, such as a fever.
• Put your son in an upright position as much as possible because it makes it easier to breathe.
• Out of other people’s experiences, it seems that cool and humid air often brings relief because it reduces swelling in the lungs. A steam bath can help. 10 or 20 minutes in the shower can also help. 20 or 30 minutes in the bath is another option. Just don’t use a water cooker, this steam is too hot and will burn the skin.
• Some people use menthol with steaming, but I would advise against that. this will make symptoms worse.
• Staying calm while helping your son also helps your son to relax. This will prevent the waves of symptoms to become more severe.
• Coughing up mucus is ok. It is protective against inflammation in the air sacs in the lungs.As I said, the infection often goes away in a couple of days, but if you are worried just contact your doctor. Just be aware that the typical treatment is the use of corticosteroids though. In more severe symptoms epinephrine could be used.
If the croup keeps reoccurring you could contact specialists like an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) or pulmonologist (breathing and lung disease specialist).
I hope your son gets well soon!
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thank you for the info. I took him to the ped today and he confirmed that his croup is not viral. It’s sporadic so not infectious but caused by environmental triggers. He’s thinking I should go to asthma and allergy for more testing but I read an ENT is more for chronic croup. So I’m not sure. Also he mentioned possibly getting him on a preventative inhaler type thing but I don’t like that idea and would rather try holistic route. He doesn’t complain of stomach aches often but he does Have a sensitive tummy and is lactose intolerant. So he does have really smelly poops and farts often.
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I want to add he had a lot of mucous yesterday and he vomited some of it out yesterday cuz he was crying a lot. He also had stridor at night while sleeping and it was scary. The dr prescribed a single dose of dextromethasone and I did give him that today because I don’t want him to suffer like he did yesterday. I’ve attached his breathing last night as reference. Otherwise this morning he’s acting and playing and eating fine.
[70720357259__DF5BF8C0-3923-48B8-8B1F-FB0076944D4D.mp4] -
thank you so much for your feedback. It’s greatly appreciated. He did have quite a bit of mucous yesterday. I tried to keep him calm but he was very scared. He had pretty bad strider while sleeping which concerned me. He typically didn’t have this in his previous croup episodes. As I mentioned in response to Bernadette, I took him to the dr today due to stridor and he gave 1 dose of dextro. I don’t want to keep giving him this especially if he’ll be getting this often. Dr thinks it’s sporadic and not viral which is indicating an environmental trigger. He recommended asthma and allergy, but I was reading ENT for chronic croup so I’m not sure which specialist to see.
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also he hasn’t been on any antibiotics since years ago. He’s 5 and I remember giving antibiotics maybe 1 or 2x max
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