Case history
Case history
A 4-year-old boy presents to the emergency department with complaints of dysphagia, fever, drooling, and muffled voice. Symptoms have progressively worsened over the course of the day. He is toxic-appearing, and leans forwards while sitting on his mother's lap. He is drooling, and speaks with a muffled 'hot potato' voice (i.e., muffled voice). The parents deny trauma or evidence of foreign-body ingestion. They have no recollection of the child receiving a Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine.
Other presentations
The presentation of a patient with epiglottitis, especially in the post-Hib vaccine era, can be varied.[3] Vaccination is not 100% effective, so it is possible that patients may present with only some of the typical symptoms. Adults may have a more indolent presentation than children.[4]
A South Korean review documented a high incidence of epiglottic cysts in patients presenting with epiglottis (29%). In this series, these cysts predisposed patients to more severe airway obstruction and a higher risk of recurrence.[5]
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