Acute epiglottis

Epiglottitis is inflammation of the cartilage that covers the windpipe. It is a serious and life-threatening disease. The epiglottis is a cartilage on the back of the tongue that closes the windpipe during swallowing to prevent food from entering the airway.

Causes

Inflammation of the epiglottis is usually caused mostly by the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae. Other viruses and bacteria can also cause epiglottitis. It is an infection that affects young children between 2 and 6 years of age. It rarely affects older children or adults.

Since the systematic vaccination of all children against the Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) bacterium, the incidence in our country has greatly decreased.

Symptoms

When the epiglottis becomes inflamed, this disease basically causes respiratory problems. Symptoms start suddenly with a high fever and a sore throat when swallowing. As the inflammation progresses, the child has aphonia, stridor (abnormal breath sounds), significant shortness of breath, and exaggerated drooling. All this is due to the fact that the inflammation of the epiglottis prevents the correct entry of air and makes it difficult to swallow saliva. The child adopts a peculiar posture, sitting with the body forward and the head bent back, chin raised and mouth open, to keep the airway as open as possible and breathe better.

Treatment

It is a medical emergency, a very serious situation in the child that needs urgent treatment since it can rapidly evolve until completely obstructing the airway and causing death. The child needs to be admitted to an intensive care unit to help him breathe through mechanical ventilation and oxygen supply.

antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs (corticosteroids) are essential to resolve the infection. With proper treatment, children recover without sequelae.