1 - Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar Universit_ario Lisboa Central, EPE, Lisbon, Portugal
- Publicação - https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15987, Texto Integral @ b-on - First published: 16 April 2022
Key Points:
1. Croup can be one of the many manifestations of COVID-19 in children.
2. SARS-CoV-2 can lead to a more severe and acute presentation refractory to initial treatment.
3. More studies are needed to establish the current course and treatment of COVID-19 croup.
The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for the COVID-19 disease can affect children of all ages.1 The disease is usually milder in children compared with adults.1
Most cases present asymptomatically or with symptoms such as cough or fever.2 Croup (or laryngotracheitis) is a common childhood illness, mainly in pre-school-aged children, usually caused by viral infection. Parainfluenzaviruses (mainly types 1 and 3), respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, rhinovirus and enterovirus are among the main culprits.3 Viral croup is usually a self-limited illness with most cases occurring in the fall or winter.3, 4
We report a case of severe croup requiring intensive care in a healthy boy who was found to have SARS-CoV-2 infection. This case report joins the few case reports of severe upper airway disease COVID-19 related cases, and adds to the growing literature of the SARS-CoV-2 clinical presentations.4-8