Breathing Through a Straw: A Case of Adult Croup at High Altitude

Croup in adults is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. We describe a case of croup in a 40-y-old female climber, likely precipitated by exposure to cold, dry air at high altitude. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of croup in an adult associated with exposure to high altitude. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and timely intervention in managing this uncommon presentation in an adult of a common childhood condition.

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Publication Details

Journal
Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/10806032261471145
Primary Topic
Otolaryngology and Infectious Diseases
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Breathing Through a Straw: A Case of Adult Croup at High Altitude

Ken Zafren, Prince Singh, Joanne HY Lai, Prakash Khatri et al.
Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
Otolaryngology and Infectious Diseases
article

Breathing Through a Straw: A Case of Adult Croup at High Altitude

Ken Zafren, Prince Singh, Joanne HY Lai, Prakash Khatri, Jasmine Y. Gale
article en

Abstract

Croup in adults is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. We describe a case of croup in a 40-y-old female climber, likely precipitated by exposure to cold, dry air at high altitude. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of croup in an adult associated with exposure to high altitude. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and timely intervention in managing this uncommon presentation in an adult of a common childhood condition.

Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center (US), Himalayan Rescue Association (NP), Stanford Medicine (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Otolaryngology and Infectious Diseases
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