False croup is not a life-threatening condition, but it can lead to serious complications and cause concern for parents. Unfortunately, there is no definitive way to diagnose pseudocroup or, colloquially, “false croup,” so diagnosis will always be based primarily on symptoms. However, it is important to understand that diagnosis is not directly related to treatment and the sick person can be treated at home under the supervision of a doctor. The article below examines in more detail the causes and symptoms of false croup and possible complications associated with it.
Croup is an inflammation of the airways, characterized by narrowing of the lumen of the larynx and laryngospasm. Most often we are talking about the cereals of children under 5 years old. Croup is most common from late September to March. The defect is very life-threatening when it develops into difficulty breathing or an attack of suffocation. Difficulty breathing in croup is usually associated with stenosis (“blockage”) of the larynx.
Most of the visits to pediatric surgery departments with a diagnosis of “false croup” are associated with false laryngitis, which is a catarrhal (acute) or fibrinous (chronic) inflammatory reaction in the area of the child’s larynx wall. The narrowing of the diameter of the vocal cords in false croup occurs due to their swelling or spasm. The etiology is caused exclusively by viruses that provoke the formation of cytolytic toxins. Infection of a child with a viral infection that causes false croup occurs through contact through touching an infected surface or by airborne droplets.
Pathogenesis, i.e., the mechanism of development of the disease, assumes the infectious-allergic nature of the disease. When an infection enters the respiratory system, an allergy to its toxins is formed. Croup is characterized by the progression of immune disorders, leading to the appearance of bronchial obstruction (resistance and obstruction to air flow). Due to the peculiarities of the innervation and blood supply of the larynx, swelling, spasm or hypermotor reaction when this area is damaged is almost always