Pseudo croup in the baby

introduction

The croup syndrome or pseudo croup occurs 99% in connection with acute laryngitis (acute subglottic laryngitis) and mainly affects children between six months and three years of age.

In some cases, children up to the age of six are also affected, older ones rather rarely.
Meanwhile, it is observed that slightly more boys than girls develop pseudo croup.

The main reason for the predominant occurrence in small children (babies) is the small diameter of the larynx.
Even a minimal relocation can lead to critical constriction, causing shortness of breath.

A swelling of the larynx lining by 1mm increases the breathing resistance in adults by three times.
In the case of toddlers / babies, however, it is 16 times as much.
In addition, the nest protection decreases at the age of 1 to 3 years.
This means that the child's immune system is no longer supported by that of its mother after weaning.
The child's immune system must now fight against pathogens itself. Since the antibodies or the immunity to certain pathogens are only formed after the first contact with them, diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, etc. are more common in babies.
Thus, the probability of having an acute one at this age is also greater subglottic laryngitis to fall ill and develop a pseudo croup as a result.

A first infection is usually much more pronounced than a second infection in later childhood.
This in turn suggests that toddlers in particular are affected by an initial infection in the full extent of a pseudocup.

In addition, especially in crawling and kindergarten age, the risk of infection with bacteria and viruses is increased, as the children explore their environment and touch as many objects as possible, put them in their mouths and usually have close contact with their playmates.

Ultimately, around 12% of all children develop pseudocroup once in their life, which makes this disease relatively common.

Read more on the topic: Pseudo croup and Cortisone in babies