An old home remedy suggests that steam may work.
Unfortunately, the answer is no and research does not support this practice either.
What Is Croup?
Kin Images/Getty Images
Croupis an inflammation of the larynx and trachea usually from a viral infection that is commonly seen in kids.
Adults can get it, too, but they are more likely to call it laryngitis.
Croup is seen in babies and toddlers from the ages of six months to three years.
With croup, your child may have sudden symptoms of a cough.
More specifically, croup causes a loud, barking cough that sounds a bit like a sea lion.
Your child may also have trouble breathing and release a high-pitched noise while breathing in, known as stridor.
Symptoms often start at night, get better during the day, and get worse again at night.
Croup often gets better without treatment, with time being the best remedy.
Humidity and Cold Mist
Healthcare providers were taught for years that humidity would alleviate croup.
In fact, in every study, humidity didn’t seem to help at all.
In olden days, people would put on a hot kettle for steam or use a hot steam vaporizer.
This welcomed the risk of scalding or burns.
Thus cold mist systems were developed.
Crying can make the symptoms worse, so try keeping your child calm.
Give them fluids and encourage them to sleep.
Don’t give your child over-the-counter cold medications as those won’t help croup.
They are also not recommended in any case for children under the age of two.
This requires a trip to the ER for evaluation and treatment with steroids and a trial of inhalation therapies.
Always call911for anyone with severeshortness of breath, no matter the cause.
2013;347:f6041.
doi:10.1136/bmj.f6041+
Johnson DW.Croup.BMJ Clin Evid: 0321.
