Epiglottitis – Viral or Bacterial Infection

Epiglottitis is a term which describes the inflammation and swelling of the epiglottis which is a leaf shaped flap of cartilage tissue that lies beneath the root of the tongue at the back of the throat and its main function is to close the entry of the windpipe or the trachea, at the time of eating to avoid food entering into the airways.

When the food is swallowed, the epiglottis covers the larynx or the voicebox which is in front of the neck above the trachea and stops the food from entering the windpipe. It contains the vocal cords enabling the air to pass from the mouth to the trachea and then to the lungs. Epiglottitis is caused by a bacterial or viral infection, the symptoms being sore throat, fever with difficulty in swallowing.

At times the person may also experience difficulties in breathing where immediate treatment needs to be administered to ensure that the person receives sufficient oxygen supply to the lungs and negligence could be life threatening. The symptoms of epiglottitis develop rapidly which may include drooling, besides severe sore throat, difficulty in swallowing and breathing. If the epiglottis tends to get swollen, it could be serious since it can restrict the oxygen supply to the lungs which needs to be attended to without any delay.

Symptoms – Fever/Sore Throat /Difficulty in Swallowing

Epiglottitis could also be confused for croup, which is a common childhood viral infection that affects the larynx and the trachea though croup is less dangerous and improves on its own.

 Epiglottitis affect children in the age group of two and seven and since the Hib vaccine was introduced in the 1990s in the United Kingdom along with other countries, this ailment has been reduced among many children and now seems to be very rare. However no vaccine is 100% effective and it is very rare that epiglottitis caused by Hib can get affected even if they have been vaccinated.

The person suffering from Epiglottitis starts with high temperature which is the first symptoms and complains of a sore throat and may also tend to have a hoarse voice with pain on swallowing. Due to the pain on swallowing, they may also drool saliva and the symptom of cough is less in this ailment.

Severe cases, Timely treatment essential

Breathing that is noisy and difficult follows and should be treated immediately. In moments like these, the person with epiglottitis prefers to sit upright and lean slightly forward with their tongue sticking out and this position could be helpful to open up their airway to let in more oxygen to the lungs.

Some may even tend to panic and get frightened while others may tend to make grunting noise due to the difficulty of breathing and receive less oxygen to their lungs. Their skin color may change and become grey or blue.

If the person is not treated on time, the swelling of the epiglottis may totally block the airway which may lead to the person collapsing and even death. Treating these severe cases is done by a procedure known as tracheostomy which helps the person in getting the supply of oxygen to the lungs while some with tracheostomy may also need the help of ventilator.