NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Epiglottitis

Epiglottitis is inflammation of the cartilage that covers the trachea(windpipe). Due to its place in the airway, swelling of this structure can interfere with breathing and constitutes a medical emergency. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... // J00-J99 - Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J06) Acute upper respiratory infections (J00) Acute nasopharyngitis (common cold) (J01) Acute sinusitis (J02) Acute pharyngitis (J03) Acute tonsillitis (J04) Acute laryngitis and tracheitis (J05) Acute obstructive laryngitis (croup) and epiglottitis (J050) Acute obstructive laryngitis (croup) (J051) Acute epiglottitis (J06) Acute upper... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Diseases Database is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli. ... For the play Breath by Samuel Beckett, see Breath (play). ... A medical emergency is an injury or illness that poses an immediate threat to a persons health or life which requires help from a doctor or hospital. ...

Cause

Epiglottitis involves bacterial infection of the epiglottis, most often caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B, although some cases are attributable to Streptococcus pneumoniae or Streptococcus pyogenes. Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ... Binomial name Haemophilus influenzae (Lehmann & Neumann 1896) Winslow 1917 Haemophilus influenzae, formerly called Pfeiffers bacillus or Bacillus influenzae, is a non-motile Gram-negative coccobacillus first described in 1892 by Dr. Richard Pfeiffer during an influenza pandemic. ... Binomial name Streptococcus pneumoniae (Klein 1884) Chester 1901 Streptococcus pneumoniae is a species of Streptococcus that is a major human pathogen. ... Binomial name Streptococcus pyogenes Rosenbach 1884 Streptococcus pyogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium that grows in pairs (diplococci) or short chains depending on the culture method. ...

Symptoms

Epiglottitis typically affects children, and is associated with fever, difficulty swallowing, drooling and stridor. The child often appears acutely ill, anxious, and has very quiet shallow breathing with the head held forward, insisting on sitting up in bed. The early symptoms are insidious but rapidly progressive, and swelling of the throat may lead to cyanosis and asphyxiation. Cases in adults are most typically seen amongst abusers of crack cocaine. George Washington is thought to have died of epiglottitis. An analogue medical thermometer showing the temperature of 38. ... Dysphagia (, not to be confused with dysphasia) is a medical term defined as difficulty swallowing. It derives from the Greek root dys meaning difficulty or disordered, and phagia meaning to eat. It is a sensation that suggests difficulty in the passage of solids or liquids from the mouth to the... Stridor is a high pitched sound heard on inspiration that is indicative of airway obstruction. ... Cyanosis refers to the bluish coloration of the skin due to the presence of deoxygenated hemoglobin in blood vessels near the skin surface. ... Asphyxia is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body. ... Cocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732â€“December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775â€“1783), and was later elected the first President of the United States. ...

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is confirmed by direct inspection using laryngoscopy, although this may provoke airway spasm. The epiglottis and arytenoids are cherry-red and swollen. The most likely differential diagnostic candidates are croup, peritonsillar abscess, and retropharyngeal abscess. Laryngoscope in use intubating a dummy A laryngoscope is a medical instrument that is used to obtain a view of the glottis by direct laryngoscopy. ... The arytenoid cartilages are three-sided pyramids which form part of the larynx and allow the vocal cords to be tensed, relaxed, or approximated. ... This term also refers to the rump of a quadruped; see croup. ...

On lateral C-spine X-ray, the thumbprint sign is a finding that suggests the diagnosis of epiglottitis.^[1] The term lateral can refer to: an anatomical definition of direction. ... In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are those vertebrae immediately behind (caudal to) the skull. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... In radiology, the thumbprint sign is a finding on a lateral C-spine x-ray that suggests the diagnosis of epiglottitis. ...

Treatment

Epiglottitis requires urgent endotracheal intubation to protect the airway. Ideally, this should be performed by an experienced anesthesiologist or respiratory therapist, with otolaryngology back-up in case of failed intubation. If intubation fails, tracheostomy is required. Intubation being practiced on a dummy (conventional technique using a laryngoscope). ... An anesthesiologist (American English), or anaesthetist (British English), is a medical doctor trained to administer anesthesia. ... Respiratory therapy is an allied health field involved in the treatment of breathing disorders which include chronic lung problems (i. ... Otolaryngology is the branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head & neck disorders. ... Tracheotomy is a surgical procedure used to cut a hole in the trachea through which a small tube is inserted. ...

In addition, patients should be given an antibiotic drug such as ceftriaxone. Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics test plate. ... Oral medication A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... Ceftriaxone (trade name RocephinÂ®) is a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic. ...

Complications

Some patients may develop pneumonia, lymphadenopathy or septic arthritis. Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... Lymphadenopathy is swelling of one or more lymph nodes. ... Septic arthritis is the proliferation of bacteria in joints and resultant inflammation. ...

When the United States' first President, George Washington fell ill to epiglottitis, doctors debated on the way of treatment. While one doctor felt they should cut a hole in his throat between the cartilage rings of the trachea, the rest of the doctors agreed to bleed him with beetles on his leg (Bleeding one out was thought to suck the disease out of the infected person). When this killed Washington, it was realized that the original doctor's idea to cut a small incision in his throat would have saved his life.

References

External links

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Pathology of respiratory system (J)

Upper respiratory tract infection - Common cold - Rhinitis - Sinusitis - Pharyngitis - Tonsillitis - Laryngitis - Tracheitis - Croup - Epiglottitis
Influenza - Pneumonia (Viral, Bacterial, Bronchopneumonia)
Bronchitis - Bronchiolitis
Vasomotor rhinitis - Hay fever - Atrophic rhinitis - Nasal polyp - Adenoid hypertrophy - Peritonsillar abscess - Vocal fold nodule - Laryngospasm
Emphysema - COPD - Asthma - Status asthmaticus - Bronchiectasis
Coalworker's pneumoconiosis - Pneumoconiosis - Silicosis - Bauxite fibrosis - Berylliosis - Siderosis - Byssinosis - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Acute respiratory distress syndrome - Pulmonary edema - Hamman-Rich syndrome - Interstitial lung disease
Lung abscess - Pleural effusion - Empyema - Pneumothorax
Respiratory failure - Atelectasis - Mediastinitis Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. ... The Respiratory System Among four-legged animals, the respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. ... Upper respiratory infections, commonly referred to the acronym URI, is the illness caused by an acute infection which involves the upper respiratory tract: nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, or bronchi. ... // Acute viral nasopharyngitis, often known as the common cold, is a mild viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system (nose and throat). ... Rhinitis is the medical term describing irritation and inflammation of the nose. ... Sinusitis is an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, which may or may not be as a result of infection, from bacterial, fungal, viral, allergic or autoimmune issues. ... Pharyngitis (far-in-jÄ« tis) is a painful inflammation of the pharynx, and is colloquially referred to as a sore throat. ... Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils in the mouth and will often, but not necessarily, cause a sore throat and fever. ... Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. ... Tracheitis (also known as Bacterial tracheitis or Acute bacterial tracheitis) is a bacterial infection of the trachea and is capable of producing airway obstruction. ... This term also refers to the rump of a quadruped; see croup. ... Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... Viral pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung caused by a virus. ... Bacterial pneumonia is an infection of the lungs by bacteria. ... Bronchopneumonia (Lobular pneumonia) - is one of two types of bacterial pneumonia as classified by gross anatomic distribution of consolidation (solidification). ... This article is not about asthma. ... Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs. ... Vasomotor rhinitis is a form of rhinitis that is not related to allergic reactions, but which is characterized by many of the same symptoms, such as a chronic running nose with intermittent sneezing, rhinorrhea and blood-vessel congestion of the nasal mucus membranes. ... For the play, see Hay Fever. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Adenoid hypertrophy (or enlarged adenoids) is the unusual growth (hypertrophy) of the adenoid tonsil. ... A vocal fold nodule (or Nodules of vocal cords) is a nodule or mass of tissue that grows on the vocal folds(vocal cords). ... In medicine, laryngospasm is an uncontrolled/involuntary muscular contraction (spasm) of the laryngeal cords. ... Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for a group of respiratory tract diseases that are characterised by airflow obstruction or limitation. ... Pneumoconiosis, also known as miners lung, is a lung condition caused by the inhalation of dust, characterized by formation of nodular fibrotic changes in lungs. ... Silicosis (also known as Grinders disease) is a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in forms of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. ... Bauxite pneumoconiosis, also known as Shavers disease, corundum smelters lung, bauxite lung or bauxite smelters disease, is a progressive form of pneumoconiosis caused by exposure to bauxite fumes which contain aluminium and silica particulates. ... Berylliosis is a chronic lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to beryllium, a chemical irritant to the lungs. ... Siderosis is the deposition of iron in tissue. ... Byssinosis, commonly called Brown Lung, pooh is caused by exposure to cotton dust in inadequately ventilated working environments. ... Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an inflammation of the lung caused by the bodys immune reaction to small air-borne particles. ... Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), also known as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or adult respiratory distress syndrome (in contrast with IRDS) is a serious reaction to various forms of injuries to the lung. ... Pulmonary edema is swelling and/or fluid accumulation in the lungs. ... Hamman-Rich syndrome (also known as acute interstitial pneumonia) is a rare, severe lung disease which usually affects otherwise healthy individuals. ... Diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), also known as interstitial lung disease, refers to a group of lung diseases, affecting the alveolar epithelium, pulmonary capillary endothelium, basement membrane, perivascular and perilymphatic tissues. ... Lung abscess is necrosis of the pulmonary tissue and formation of cavities containing necrotic debris or fluid caused by microbial infection. ... Pleural effusion Chest x-ray of a pleural effusion. ... An empyema is a collection of pus within a natural body cavity, most commonly the pleural space surrounding the lungs. ... Left-sided pneumothorax (on the right side of the image) on CT scan of the chest with chest tube in place. ... Respiratory failure is a medical term for inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system. ... Atelectasis is defined as collapse of a part of the lung or the whole lung, where the alveoli are deflated, as distinct from pulmonary consolidation. ... Mediastinitis is inflammation of the tissues in the mediastinum. ...

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