Respiratory illness sending more kids to hospital

THE Queensland Children’s Hospital has seen a sharp rise in croup cases at its emergency department since the start of autumn compared to last year, with numbers expected to soar further as temperatures plummet.

Queensland Health figures show the state’s only standalone paediatric hospital has treated 620 children with croup since the start of March, compared with 504 cases during the same period last year – a 23 per cent increase.

Paediatric doctors say croup has been the No.1 reason for children presenting to the hospital’s emergency department in the past three months. The spike in cases has corresponded with higher than expected flu numbers in autumn.

But Queensland Children’s Hospital emergency department director Jason Acworth said higher than usual rates of respiratory viruses across the board had contributed to the surge in croup figures.

Croup is usually triggered by viruses which result in inflammation and swelling of the voice box and windpipe.

It causes children to develop a bark-like cough and highpitched breathing – symptoms known medically as stridor.

Dr Acworth said children aged from six months to three years were most at risk because of their smaller windpipes.

“We often see children with croup in the middle of the night, between midnight and 3am when the temperature drops,” he said. “Cold, dry air seems to make it worse.”

Children with severe croup can struggle to breathe, sometimes turning blue, or they may appear extremely drowsy.