Which statement about croup is correct?

Which statement about croup is correct?

• A. Croup is a bacterial lower airway infection.
• B. Croup is a viral upper airway infection that may cause stridor.
• C. Croup presents with a high fever and productive cough.
• D. Croup is an allergic reaction causing wheezing.

Answer: (B)

Croup is an acute viral illness that primarily affects the upper airway, specifically the larynx and subglottic region, causing inflammation and narrowing that can produce inspiratory stridor. This is why the statement describing croup as a viral upper airway infection that may cause stridor is correct. The typical picture includes a barking or brassy cough and hoarseness, often with only a low-grade fever, and not a productive cough. That helps distinguish it from bacterial infections of the lower airway, which more commonly present with higher fevers and productive sputum, or from an allergic reaction causing wheezing, which would look different clinically (often more diffuse wheeze, possible urticaria, or signs of anaphylaxis). The key idea is that the problem in croup is subglottic inflammation in the upper airway from a virus, leading to stridor, rather than a bacterial lower-airway infection or an allergic wheezing episode.

Croup is an acute viral illness that primarily affects the upper airway, specifically the larynx and subglottic region, causing inflammation and narrowing that can produce inspiratory stridor. This is why the statement describing croup as a viral upper airway infection that may cause stridor is correct. The typical picture includes a barking or brassy cough and hoarseness, often with only a low-grade fever, and not a productive cough. That helps distinguish it from bacterial infections of the lower airway, which more commonly present with higher fevers and productive sputum, or from an allergic reaction causing wheezing, which would look different clinically (often more diffuse wheeze, possible urticaria, or signs of anaphylaxis). The key idea is that the problem in croup is subglottic inflammation in the upper airway from a virus, leading to stridor, rather than a bacterial lower-airway infection or an allergic wheezing episode.