A two-year-old was diagnosed with croup — a viral infection of the upper airway — after his family noticed that his voice had turned hoarse and he had a barking cough, which his doctor said are characteristic symptoms of the infection.
The symptoms and other signs of croup are the results of swelling around the larynx and trachea, Taipei Shu-tien Clinic pediatrician Tai Chi-shan (戴季珊) said.
When air travels through the narrowed airway, it produces a loud and hoarse sound as the person inhales or exhales, Tai said.
Croup often worsens or develops at night and could even be fatal if the symptoms are severe, she said.
It is a common disease among children aged six months to three years old, especially during seasonal changes.
The infection is less common among older children, she said, adding that boys are slightly more susceptible to it than girls.
Many parents mistake croup for asthma, but they are completely different. Croup features a characteristic barking cough due to an infected upper airway, where a swollen throat and tissues make inhaling more difficult than exhaling, Tai said.
Asthma is characterized by a whistling breathing sound due to lower airway obstruction, where contraction of the inflamed bronchial muscle makes exhaling more difficult than inhaling, she added.
Croup is usually not serious and can be treated at home, but children who have croup and breathe with a wheezing sound even when not crying or agitated, or develop breathlessness, should seek a pediatrician’s advice on whether an adrenaline spray and long-lasting steroids are needed to reduce airway swelling, Tai said.
Noting that croup — which resembles a typical cold at the early stage — is also contagious, Tai said that enhanced household hygiene measures should be implemented if any family member has the infection.
People with croup should seek medical assistance immediately if they find themselves having a difficult time breathing and swallowing, becoming weak and pale, or if their symptoms last beyond seven days, she added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS