Barking cough in adults

Croup is usually caused by a contagious virus, such as a parainfluenza virus. These viruses can spread if you breathe in air droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

The droplets can also survive on surfaces, so you can become infected if you touch an object and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

When a virus attacks your body, it can produce swelling around your vocal cords, windpipe, and bronchial tubes.

This swelling causes symptoms of croup.

Adults may catch the contagious virus, but they have larger airways, so they’re unlikely to develop croup.

Kids, because of their smaller breathing passages, are more apt to feel the effects of the swelling and inflammation.

Croup in adults can also be caused by:

• other viruses
• a bacterial infection, such as a staph infection
• a fungal infection

Your doctor can diagnose croup by listening to your breathing with a stethoscope and examining your throat.

Sometimes, a chest X-ray is performed to confirm that it’s croup and not something else.

It’s important to g

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