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Show V' WEEKLY REFLEX DAVIS NEWS JOURNAL, NORTH DAVIS LEADER, OCTOBER 29, 1981 Lurks About In Fall By RICHARD M. SAG, MD ONCE THE epiglottis becomes inflammed and starts to swell the child will prefer to sit in an upright fashion, often with the jaw leaning forward. The child usually appears to be quite nervous and very intent on breathing. There may be a harsh cough and breathing sounds become quite raspy as breathing becomes labored. If unrecognized and untreated the epiglottis will plug the airway and the child will be unable to breath. If recognized early it is possible to save the childs life. The treatment involves the placement of an airway passage tube through the vocal cords and antibiotics to fight the infection. The longer the infection has to develop the harder it is to place the airway tube because of the extreme swelling at the base of the throat. Every fall as the nights cool down and children start back to school, there are epidemics of respiratory illnesses that whip through our communities. There is a particular respiratory illness w hich I would like to discuss today that is currently making its rounds in Davis County as well as the rest of Utah. That illness is known as croup. CROUP IS an infectious illness that causes an obstruction or blockage in the upper airway passages of the throat. Except for extremely rare causes of croup there are two main infections which cause croup. The cause that I will discuss first is the least common cause, but the most important cause because if unrecognized, it leads to sudden complete blockage of the air passages from which death is almost certain. This first cause of croup is called epiglottitis. you to obtain medical help. Viral croup can become fatal if it becomes severe and remains untreated. If the respiratory distress becomes severe it may be difficult to distinguish viral croup from epiglottis and it becomes urgent to obtain medical help immediately. As mentioned above, most cases of viral croup are mild, the treatment for mild croup is to encourage plenty of liquids, to use a cool mist humidifier and to offer lots of reassurance and comfort to the sick and sometimes scared child. Wash, and another sister and her family, Mr. and Mrs. Tho-ma-s By NORMA PREECE 376-875- 1 Harrison, Olympia, Wash. They returned by way r. of Jackpot, Nev. and Mrs. Gayle Whitesides, DR. RICHARD M. Sag is a board certified pediatrician practicing pediatrics in Layton. Any questions or comments about this article may be directed to Dr. Sag, North Davis Pediatrics, 2084 N. 1700 W., Layton, Ut. 84041, or phone 773-933- Conversational Gambit? Where have you been for the last two hours? Talking to a girl. What did she say? No! Wen-dove- daughter Shauna, son sis- Michael, of Kaysville; her ter, Mrs. Donna Wood, Cedar Hills, drove to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada to attend their sisters wedding, Eva Matkin, who was married Oct. 9. They visited with their parents, Dr. and Mrs. H. L. Matkin a few days before returning home. Mr. and Mrs. Chris Makey and son, Don, of San Francisco, Calif, were recent visitiors of Mr. and Mrs. Rulon Killian. Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Pilcher visited hermotherand sister, Mrs. Earline Kenison and Lillian Kenison in Seattle, . Mr. and Mrs. Doyle Buhler of Mendota, Calif, have been visiting with his brother, Mr. and Mrs. Russell W. Buhler, and with his sister, Mr. and Mrs. Joe F. Preece in Kaysville, and with other relatives in the area. Houseguests of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Wood was his brother, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne L. Mayfield of Indio, Calif. Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Porter, Weston, Ida., were visitors at the home of his son, Bishop and Mrs. Gary Porter. Lt. and Mrs. Glen Whicker and their twin daughters, Tara and Cami of Arizona are the vistors of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Whicker. Lt. Whicker just graduated from pilot training at Williams AFB, Ariz. and has been assigned to Shepherd AFB, Texas. Mrs. Inga Peterson, Mrs. Oda Martin and Nancy Falk of Springfield, Ore., are visiting for two weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Clay. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Allred of San Pedro, Calif, were recent visitors of her sister, Mr, and Mrs. James Rasmussen. Mrs. Rasmussen entertained at a family gathering for 20 guests, members of the Hight family. Berk Wright, who attends Rick College, spent the weekend with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jess Wright. Mrs. Betty Sides and her mother, Mrs. Clyde Warner of Ogden, were overnight guests in Granger of Mrs. Sides twin sister, Mr. and Mrs. William Glasgow. Mr. and Mrs. Dean Holman visited in Logan with his mother, Mrs. Geneva Holman who underwent surgery Tuesday for a broken hip. Mr. and Mrs. Rex Creer of Idaho Falls, Ida. were visitors of Mr. and Mrs. James EPIGLOTTIS then is a true emergency. One should never wait until the morning to have these symptoms checked. Hours, even minutes are crucial if the diagnose of epiglottis is suspected. The second cause of croup is the most common cause of croup which is viral. There are EPIGLOTTIS is an inflama-tio- n of the epiglottis which is a flap located at the base, or bottom, of the tongue. This flap normally functions to block the air passage when we swallow so that food does not go into our lungs and to open while are just breathing so that air may easily enter our lungs. The epiglottis, then, sits in a very crucial spot overlying the vocal cords. When the epiglottis becomes swollen as with epiglottitis, it can completely block the vocal cords and the passage into the lungs. many viruses which cause croup. Most of these viruses are very contageous. This form of croup is much more mild when compared to epiglottis. With viral croup, the epiglottis appears basically normal. The region of the vocal cords and below the vocal cords in the trachea, or main wind pipe, becomes swollen and inflammed. Depending upon the degree of swelling the air passage becomes more and more narrow. EPIGLOTITIS is caused by a bacteria which is called Haemophillus influenza. This infection occurs throughout the year but typically occurs during the fall and winter months. This germ for many reasons can make a child very ill very quickly. The symptoms of epiglottitis THE DEGREE of symptoms depend upon how narrow the passages become. One can learn what it feels like for a baby to have croup by brea- thing through smaller and smaller straws until it becomes very difficult. The child with croup will have a cough that has been described to sound like the bark of a dog or the bark of a seal. The child may or may not have a fever and will often become worse gradually over a few days. The illness is almost always worse during late evening and early morning hours. Most of the time, the disease is mild and recovery is the rule, often taking two weeks for complete recovery. develop over several hours and occasionally days and often include a sudden onset of looking sick with fever and a severe sore throat. The sore throat is so severe that the child will often refuse to drink liquids or even to swallow saliva. This may cause the child to drool. Occasionally even viral croup can be quite severe. The Deadline degree of severity depends upon the degree of swelling of the airway. In the case of severe croup the child For SIGNS TO watch for that signify difficult breathing are: sinking in of the chest while coughing, or worse, sinking of the chest while breathing quietly at rest: a blue color is Friday around the mouth while coughing, or worse at rest: inability to lie down: severe anxiety: rapid breathing, or worse, slow labored breathing in an infant who appears exhausted. These are not the only signs of respiratory distress, but if any of these should occur they should signal like a flare for 12:00 i i i i wake coughing and having difficulty breathing. It is helpful for pare nts to gauge how easy or how hard it is for their infants to breath. Pictures i w ill frequently, frightened, i i i i i i Its That Time i i i i i i of Yea makes good cooking a pleasure, youll save more energy, Todays good cooks have it better than ever. New energy Quality Craftsman will expertly and money. 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