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Humidified air inhalation for treating croup
1Three Swans Surgery, Rollestone Street, Salisbury, UK SP1 1DX. research.3swans@virgin.net
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|July 21, 2006
Summary
Humidified air inhalation likely offers minimal benefit for children with mild to moderate croup in emergency settings. Further research is needed to explore its effectiveness in primary care with more sensitive outcome measures.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Respiratory Medicine
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis) is a common pediatric upper airway obstruction, often viral.
- Symptoms include hoarseness, barking cough, and inspiratory stridor due to laryngeal/tracheal edema.
- Para influenza virus type 1 is a frequent cause; severe cases may require steroids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of humidified air in treating pediatric croup.
Main Methods:
- Searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on humidified air for croup.
- Included RCTs involving children with croup treated with humidified air.
- Extracted data on mortality, ventilation, hospital admission, re-contact, school days missed, and symptom relief.
Main Results:
- Three studies with 135 patients showed a marginal, non-significant benefit of humidified air on croup scores (SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.75 to 0.47).
- No other outcomes demonstrated significant differences between humidified air and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Humidified air inhalation likely provides little improvement for mild to moderate croup in emergency settings.
- Further research in primary care with broader outcome measures is recommended.
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