It is caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold. After several days of cold symptoms, the child develops a seal-like bark y ing cough, hoarseness, and noisy breathing. Croup is most often seen in children between the ages of six months and three years. There are two types of croup, viral and spasmodic.
Viral croup begins with a cold that develops into a bark y ing cough.
The airway swells , making breathing noisy and more difficult. Some children may run a fever as high as 104 degrees F ahrenheit . The greatest danger is if the windpipe swells so much that breathing is impossible. Spasmodic croup causes spasms that occur during the night and early morning. The child will awaken g r asping for breath within 1 to 3 hours after going to bed.