Acute epiglottitis in an older patient: a case report and review of the literature

TL;DR

This paper presents a case of acute epiglottitis in a 64-year-old woman and reviews the disease's key aspects, emphasizing the need for prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Contribution

The paper contributes a detailed case report and literature review on acute epiglottitis in adults, highlighting diagnostic and management challenges.

Findings

The patient's symptoms progressed rapidly from nonspecific to classic signs of acute epiglottitis.

Conservative management was sufficient for the patient without requiring invasive treatment.

A literature review emphasizes the importance of early suspicion and multidisciplinary care in managing acute epiglottitis.

Abstract

Acute epiglottitis is a rapidly progressive infection of the supraglottic structures that can potentially be life-threatening. Although its incidence has decreased in pediatric populations owing to widespread vaccination, it remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in adults, where clinical presentations may be subtle, and airway compromise can occur with little warning. The case of a 64-year-old white European female patient is presented.

The case of a 64-year-old white European female patient is presented. Initially, she exhibited symptoms consistent with a foreign body sensation. However, these symptoms rapidly progressed to the classic signs of acute epiglottitis. The patient was managed conservatively, and no invasive treatment was required. In addition, a comprehensive literature review is hereby presented, addressing the salient aspects of this challenging disease. These aspects include but are not limited to epidemiology, etiologic agents, clinical presentation, complementary diagnostics, and advanced management.

Acute epiglottitis is a medical emergency with a rapid progression and severe consequences, thus requiring a high index of clinical suspicion in patients presenting with nonspecific symptoms. A multidisciplinary approach and immediate therapeutic measures are imperative to ensure the safety of the airway through basic and invasive procedures, in addition to strict postprocedural follow-up. This approach is fundamental to optimize health outcomes among these patients.

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