2023 Volume 163 Pages 53-58
We conducted a retrospective review of the clinical findings of 98 patients with acute epiglottitis who were hospitalized and treated between 2008 and 2019. There were 66 men and 32 women, ranging in age from 18 to 88 years (median: 49). The most frequent season of occurrence was the spring season, and the most frequent symptom was sore throat. When classified according to Tanaka’s classification, 67 patients had mild disease (score 1–3) and 31 had severe disease (score 4 or 5). All cases recovered with antibiotic and/or glucocorticoid treatment. Additional airway management, which involved tracheostomy in all cases, was needed in 11 patients. Statistical analysis identified high scores on Tanaka’s classification (scores of 4 or 5) and high white blood cell counts (≥17000 counts/μL) as being significantly correlated with the possibility of airway management.
