Croup cannot be treated with humidified air inhalation
There is no evidence to suggest that humid air can relieve patients suffering from croup symptoms such as noisy croup breathing and barking cough, as per a recently concluded medical review.
Michael Moore, a family doctor at Three Swans Surgery in Salisbury, England, said that though it is common for families of croup patients to make them stay near the hot water or have a hot-water bath, there is no conclusive evidence to find the related benefits.
Moore further remarked that studies in the past have not been able to suggest that there are any advantages associated with humid air or usage of moisturized air in an emergency department but there can be a possibility that there may be some “hidden or unexplored” benefits of humid air inhalation, which need to be supported by further studies on this subject in community settings.
From News-Medical.Net:
Croup is a set of symptoms that causes swelling in the upper part of the airway and affects the voice box. The condition usually is caused by a viral infection. Young children are especially susceptible to croup because the infants and toddlers have narrower airways than older children and adults.
Physicians rate the severity of croup by noting signs of labored breathing and poor oxygen intake. The croup score and health outcomes for the children treated with moist air were not significantly different than the scores for the patients who received no treatment, the review found.
“I think that probably the successes that were attributed to humidity in the past were due to the calming effect of the parent believing that they were doing something, the child taking deeper breaths, the child getting over the spasmodic element of the croup, and then just getting better,” said Dennis Scolnik, an emergency room pediatrician at The Hospital for Sick Children/Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
It was remarked by Scolnik that certain calming methods can be tried at patients’ homes for providing relief in cases of mild croup. It is worth noting here that steroids are often prescribed for reducing vocal chord inflammation and physicians make use of nebulized (given by mist) adrenaline for moderately severe croup for relieving a patient from symptoms.
Tags: adrenaline, barking cough, croup, noisy croup breathing, Steroids
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