Is it croup?

[Notmytelescope]

DS11 has been a bit poorly for a couple of days with a sore throat and 'sea lion' cough. It's been much worse First thing in the morning but he's improved a lot during the day (especially when we took him outside - so much so we thought he might be having an allergic reaction to something). But today he's much more unwell -with a temperature of 39 and his voice has completely gone. The sea lion cough is worse too. He has a headache and sore throat too.

is it just a virus? Or does he actually have croup (I would have thought he is too old for it?) and do I need to get him seen?

39 temperature, I would definitely ring out of hours GP x

Croup is a descriptive term, describing the swelling around the voice box and is caused by many different virus/bacteria.

In a younger child it can be more problematic due to a smaller airway.

Cold air helps the swelling as does cold drinks. That's likely why he was better outside.

It sounds like your son has a virus that is causing swelling in the same area - is his voice hoarse?

He can be assessed under pharmacy 1st to see if he needs antibiotics or they might suggest something like Difflam to help.

Fever is simply indicating his body is fighting off something - it's a generalised symptom that doesn't indicate severity of illness.

Flu and parainfluenza viruses can both cause that classic croup/barking cough. It's common for it to be worse at night and it's not just babies and toddlers that get it.