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Epiglottitis is the inflammation of the epiglottis—the flap at the base of the tongue that prevents food entering the trachea (windpipe). [7] Symptoms are usually rapid in onset and include trouble swallowing which can result in drooling, changes to the voice, fever, and an increased breathing rate.
Croup (/ k r uː p / KROOP), also known as croupy cough, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. [2] The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms of "barking/brassy" cough, inspiratory stridor and a hoarse voice. [2]
In children, viral infections such as croup or epiglottitis are frequent causes. [4] Adults are more likely to experience obstruction from enlargement of the tonsils or vocal cord paralysis . [ 3 ] Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common chronic cause of upper airway obstruction.
The swollen throat is often accompanied by a serious respiratory condition, characterized by a brassy or "barking" cough, stridor, hoarseness, and difficulty breathing; and historically referred to variously as "diphtheritic croup," [13] "true croup," [14] [15] or sometimes simply as "croup."
In radiology, the thumbprint sign, or thumbprinting, is a radiologic sign found on a radiograph that suggests the diagnosis of either epiglottitis or intestinal ischemia.. In a lateral C-spine radiograph, the sign is caused by a thickened free edge of the epiglottis, which causes it to appear more radiopaque than normal, resembling the distal thumb.
Most commonly, infections occur with inflammation of other parts of the respiratory tract, such as the larynx and bronchi, known as croup, [11] [10] however bacterial infections may also affect the trachea alone, although they are often associated with a recent viral infection. [10] Viruses that cause croup are generally the parainfluenza ...
Bacterial tracheitis is a rare complication of influenza infection. [4] It is the most serious in young children, possibly because of the relatively small size of the trachea that gets easily blocked by swelling. The most frequent sign is the rapid development of stridor. It is occasionally confused with croup. If it is inflamed, a condition ...
The epiglottis is made of elastic cartilage covered with a mucous membrane, attached to the entrance of the larynx. It projects upwards and backwards behind the tongue and the hyoid bone. The epiglottis may be inflamed in a condition called epiglottitis, which is most commonly due to the vaccine-preventable bacterium Haemophilus influenzae.