Diagnosis and treatment of croup.

Croup is a common childhood disease that has no specific diagnostic test. It must be differentiated from life-threatening diseases, such as epiglottitis, that demand specific interventions. A high degree of toxicity, the presence of dysphagia and the absence of cough help distinguish epiglottitis from croup. The usefulness and safety of visualization of the epiglottis in patients with croup are controversial. Clinical recognition of respiratory distress and failure is vital. Hypoxia is common. Pulse oximetry is helpful in the assessment of hypoxia, but readings do not correlate with clinical status or respiratory failure. Although studies have not proved that mist therapy is beneficial, the efficacy of racemic epinephrine is well documented. High dose corticosteroids have proved effective in the treatment of croup. Outpatient use of racemic epinephrine and steroids remains controversial.