Causes of Barking Cough

Have you heard a child cough that sounds like a bark of a dog or seal? The sound is what worries most parents and they begin to wonder what are the causes of barking cough. As you will continue reading, you will find information that will help you understand what is barking cough and what are its causes.

What is Barking Cough?
Also known as croup, it is an infection of the voice box (larynx) and the windpipe (trachea) caused by a viral or sometimes bacterial infection. The larynx swells and the trachea becomes blocked due to the infection. This cough is characterized by a hoarse, bark like sound heard when the patient coughs. The sound is heard when the vocal cords vibrate due to the reflex action of the air passing through the narrowed air passage. Barking cough in adults is not as common as it is in children. Children under the age of 5 years have smaller airways that make them easily prone to exhibiting the classic 'barking' cough symptoms.

Barking Cough - Causes
The reasons behind barking cough mostly include a viral infection. The conditions that are caused by a viral infection include acute laryngotracheitis and spasmodic croup. In a few cases, when bacteria is suspected to be the infectious agent, it leads to conditions such as laryngeal diphtheria, bacterial tracheitis, laryngotracheobronchitis, and laryngotracheobronchopneumonitis. These four bacterial conditions are severe as compared to the viral infections.

The viral barking cough is generally caused by parainfluenza virus. There are 3 strains of parainfluenza virus that lead to 80% of the infections. These include parainfluenza virus I, parainfluenza virus II and parainfluenza virus III. The parainfluenza virus I is the most common of the three strains that causes barking cough. This is an airborne virus and can spread through close contact with an infected person. Cough and sneeze droplets containing virus carry it to the respiratory tract of a healthy individual. Other viruses that cause dry barking cough include:

• Influenza A and B
• Measles virus
• Herpes simplex virus
• Varicella zoster virus
• Adenovirus
• Rhinovirus
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

In case of bacterial barking cough, there are four conditions related to this infection. Corynebacterium diphtheriae causes laryngeal diphtheria. Bacterial tracheitis, laryngotracheobronchitis, and laryngotracheobronchopneumonitis are caused by secondary bacterial infections that occur after a viral infection. The bacteria that lead to barking cough include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis.

Barking Cough - Symptoms
The croup symptoms include the harsh, loud barking sound heard when the patient coughs. Most of the time, the cough worsens at night. The breathing of the patient is noisy and labored. Other symptoms include stridor, hoarseness, breathing difficulty, fever, drooling, signs of common cold (coryza), etc. The larynx, trachea and large bronchi become swollen due to the viral infection. This occurs due to the infiltration of the white blood cells to attack the infected viral cells. This swelling obstructs the airway passage that causes problems with breathing. When one breathes in air, it causes noisy airflow that is called stridor.

Barking Cough - Treatment
Barking cough usually requires rest and home care. The doctor may prescribe corticosteroids, epinephrine, etc. that help clear the blocked air passages. In case of bacterial croup, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Severe croup may require hospitalization and the patient may be given humidified oxygen as a relief to any breathing trouble.

Barking cough may sound scary, but it is not a serious infection. Make sure you give your child all the vaccinations and immunization injections on time to prevent an infection. You should keep the child calm and sing them lullabies. The condition is self-limiting and will improve in a day or so. Within a week, the child will be cured of barking cough. This was all about causes of barking cough. Stay calm and visit the doctor for a check up to prevent the symptoms from turning into a severe complication.