Introduction
Epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis) is an acute, mostly bacterial, life-threatening disease. Especially Haemophilus influenza type B can colonize the epiglottis. In rare cases, other pathogens may also be considered. The massive swelling of the epiglottis can impede breathing and require intensive medical care. Epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis) must be treated as an emergency.
Symptoms
Epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis) is acute. It is accompanied by pain when swallowing, a whistling sound when inhaling (inspiratory stridor) due to the narrowing of the airways, increased saliva production and usually high fever. The shortness of breath is followed by a poor supply of oxygen which can be shown by a blue coloration (cyanosis) of the face.
During the examination, the doctor may notice a reddening of the epiglottis as well as a swelling of the same. Shortness of breath can cause mortal fear. Patients, especially children, are panicky and gasp for air – it is very important to have a calming effect on the patient (epiglottitis), as the agitation makes breathing even worse.
To make breathing easier for the patient, a sitting position is favourable. Epiglottitis typically begins suddenly and with pronounced symptoms. Fever is a classic symptom along with sore throat and difficulty swallowing, as well as dry breath sounds when inhaled.
The fever occurs suddenly and can rise to high temperatures. The dull speech, which is one of the typical symptoms of epiglottitis, is caused by swelling in the area of the throat. Due to the swollen mucous membrane in the area of the vocal cords, the air flow changes when speaking, which is then perceived as clumpy.
Furthermore, similar to swallowing, an irritation of the inflamed mucous membrane is caused. Due to the higher sensitivity of the pain fibers, speaking can be painful, just like swallowing. Sore throat and the associated difficulty in swallowing are caused by the acute inflammation and swelling in the area of the throat.
The inflammation of the mucous membrane in this area also causes the pain fibers of the mucous membrane to become more sensitive to stimuli. This makes swallowing very painful. In addition to the pain when swallowing, increased saliva production is typical of epiglottitis. Since swallowing is painful, saliva often runs out of the child’s mouth because it cannot be swallowed or the child cannot swallow because of the pain.
