Usually croup starts out with a mild upper respiratory viral infection such as a cold, ear infection or sore throat. The symptoms of croup are a barking cough, difficulty breathing and a sharp low-pitched wheezing noise each time a breath is taken. There is an increase in mucus secretions which are thick and can block the airway causing great difficulty in breathing. Breathing is further impaired by the swelling of the vocal cords. These symptoms can be mild or severe.
Breathing sometimes is very rapid or slow and labored.
You will see the ribs pull sharply in as the child takes a breath. This is hard work and will exhaust your child. Your child will probably have a fever and have nasal congestion. Croup generally lasts about three days but can escalate quickly. Croup is rarely life threatening anymore, but at one time in history it was.