Open AccessCase and Literature Review: Adult Acute Epiglottitis – Rising Incidence or Increasing Awareness?
Author(s) -
Chung CH
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
hong kong journal of emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2309-5407
pISSN - 1024-9079
DOI - 10.1177/102490790100800407
Subject(s) - medicine , epiglottitis , sore throat , dysphagia , case fatality rate , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , throat , retrospective cohort study , medical record , emergency medicine , intensive care medicine , surgery , epidemiology , physics , optics
Objective The prevalence of adult acute epiglottitis is probably more common than is generally appreciated. A retrospective case review in a district hospital and a medical literature search may provide baseline information to guide future strategies. Methods Cases of acute epiglottitis in a period of 3 years and 4 months were traced from the hospital computer systems. Medical records were reviewed. Medical literature on “adult acute epiglottitis” was searched through Medline and EMBASE. Relevant full text articles were retrieved through hospital library network. Results From February 1998 to June 2001, 11 cases of acute epiglottitis were identified. The age range was 34–78 (mean 47.5, median 41). There was no paediatric case. The male to female ratio was 9:2. Eight presented with fever, sore throat and dysphagia, one presented with dyspnoea and two presented as foreign body in throat. Nine were treated successfully conservatively. Two were intubated prophylactically. There was no case fatality. Conclusion Adult acute epiglottitis has become much commoner than its paediatric counterpart. Acute epiglottitis should be suspected in all patients with a sore throat and dysphagia, especially if symptoms are out of proportion to the pharyngeal inflammation.