Epiglottitis is inflammation of the epiglottis, the flap at the base of the tongue that prevents food entering the trachea. Symptoms are usually rapid in onset and include trouble swallowing, changes to the voice, fever, and an increased breathing rate. With the use of the Hib vaccine, the number of cases has decreased by more than 95%.
About Epiglottitis in brief
Epiglottitis is inflammation of the epiglottis, the flap at the base of the tongue that prevents food entering the trachea. Symptoms are usually rapid in onset and include trouble swallowing, changes to the voice, fever, and an increased breathing rate. With the use of the Hib vaccine, the number of cases has decreased by more than 95%. In the United States it affects about 1. 3 per 100,000 children a year. With appropriate treatment, the risk of death among children with the condition is about one percent and among adults is seven percent. Other possible causes include burns and other trauma to the area.
The most accurate way to make the diagnosis is to look directly at the epglottis. X-rays of the neck from the side may show a ‘thumbprint sign’ but the lack of this sign does not mean it is absent. An ultrasound may be helpful if specific changes are present, but does not exclude the diagnosis. Swollen epglotis in the early stages of its use is a normal sign of the condition. On Halloween, describe the sign, the thumbprint sign, to describe a swollen, enlarged, epglotsis in laryngopyOn lateral C-spine X-ray.
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This page is based on the article Epiglottitis published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 06, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
