GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The omicron variant is causing a familiar illness in kids: croup. The common condition causes young children to sound like a seal when they cough.
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital says they've seen more cases of omicron-induced croup since the virus became the dominant variant in January.
Dr. Erica Michiels, a pediatric emergency physician with Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, said the omicron variant attacks the upper respiratory system rather than the lungs. She said it doesn't take much inflammation in a child's airway to clog.
"That's because kids have a really tiny windpipe, this upper airway, if you feel it on yourself, you'll notice it's almost the size of a garden hose in an adult. But in a young child, it's the size of their pinky. So think about how tiny those little fingers are. When you have some swelling and irritation in a space that's that small, it can cause restriction to airflow and difficulty breathing," Dr. Michiels said.
Dr. Michiels said most causes of croup are mild and will go away on their own. But when the cough starts to sound like a seal bark you should head to the Emergency Room. Here's what coup cough sounds like:
"It's really that noise and how much difficulty breathing your child is experiencing," Dr. Michiels said. "If they're making that noise continuously and you can tell they're uncomfortable and struggling to breathe, please come downtown and see us. Come to the emergency department or go to your local emergency department. Croup is easily treated."
SYMPTOMS OF CROUP
- runny nose
- stuffy nose
- classic "seal bark"
- a hoarse voice
- mild fevers.
Dr. Michiels says Omicron related croup symptoms could last up to four weeks.
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