Infectious croup: a critical review.

Infectious croup is a viral or bacterial syndrome characterized by a barking cough, hoarseness, and stridor. Three separate conditions will be discussed: laryngotracheobronchitis, spasmotic croup, and bacterial tracheitis. Each clinical entity will be defined and its treatment reviewed. Current treatment regimens for infectious croup involve various combinations of mist therapy, racemic epinephrine, corticosteroids, and syrup of ipecac. Tradition, rather than science, appears to be the basis of many of these treatments. Despite the frequent occurrence of infectious croup, no treatment has proved consistently successful. Prevention and better treatment methods are the keys for reducing the high cost of infectious croup to the medical care system.