Description
Until the introduction of vaccination against
Haemophilus Influenzae type B (HIB) acute epiglottitis
was mainly a disease of childhood. In adults the condition
is rare and can be missed due to the heterogeneity of
presenting symptoms. We report a case of acute adult
epiglottitis where the diagnosis was initially missed. On
reviewing current literature no factors could be identified
that reliably predicted an impending respiratory
catastrophe. Many authors were however advocating a
conservative management strategy, opting to intervene
only in the presence of progressive respiratory distress, with
no increase in mortality.
