Adult croup: a rare but more severe condition

We report the first adult patient with virologically confirmed croup caused by parainfluenza virus type 3 and review 10 cases of adult croup described in the English-language literature. Circumstantial evidence of viral infection was present in only 1 other case, in which there was a rise in antibody titer against influenza B virus. Ten patients (91%) required intensive care support. None of the 11 patients died. A comparison was also made between the 11 adults with croup and 43 children hospitalized with severe croup described in a representative paper published in 1984. Adult croup represents an apparently more severe disease entity than pediatric croup.