Epiglottitis Dr Trisha Macnair This acute infection of the throat can occur rapidly and may be fatal if not treated swiftly.

In this article

What is it? What causes it?

Who's affected? What are the symptoms?

What's the treatment?

Epiglottitis is an acute infection of the epiglottis, which is a flap of cartilage in the throat at the entrance to the larynx.

During the infection, the epiglottis rapidly swells, blocking the passage of air into the lungs. This is potentially fatal and is a medical emergency.

Epiglottitis is caused by a bacteria called haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib).

Epiglottitis tends to occur in children aged between two and seven years old, and is rare in adults, although it may occur at any age. In the UK it is no longer common, following the introduction of a vaccine to protect against Hib.

It's vital you don't:

Lie the child down or attempt to look in their throat or put anything in their mouth, such as a spatula. This can trigger a spasm that closes the airway completely and causes death within minutes.

These usually appear suddenly, with a high fever and a very sore throat, which causes the child to drool saliva as it's too painful to swallow or even speak. Breathing is noisy and becomes increasingly difficult over a matter of hours. The tongue and lips may look blue.

The child looks ill and will sit upright with their mouth open to help breathing. There's minimal or no coughing, unlike viral croup. It can be difficult to tell the difference between epiglottitis and croup, but they require different treatments.

If your child has a sore throat and difficulty breathing, call for immediate medical help.

Once in hospital, doctors can carefully examine the child to make a diagnosis. It may be necessary to insert a tube into the windpipe (tracheostomy) under general anaesthetic to keep the airways open, allowing oxygen to get to the lungs. An X-ray may be taken and blood tests done to check for the presence of haemophilus influenzae bacteria.

Antibiotics are given intravenously and humidified oxygen, which is oxygen that has been moistened, is given to help the patient breathe.

With good treatment, children usually recover quickly, within two to three days. Those who've been in close contact with the child may be offered antibiotic treatment to reduce their risk of developing the infection.

In the UK, children are routinely vaccinated against haemophilus influenzae with the Hib vaccine, so epiglottitis is very rare.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in February 2008