A Clinical Presentation
A clinical presentation is the best way to identify epiglottitis in the outpatient environment. Because of their effectiveness, history taking and physical examination should be the major diagnostic procedures. A variety of bacteria, as well as unusual causes such as lymphoproliferative disease, can produce edematous growth in the supraglottic region of the oropharynx. Nonetheless, the manifestation is consistent, and diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms typically associated with epiglottal edema. These include fever, drooling, swallowing pain and discomfort, severe sore throat, and restlessness (Schottke, 2010). Following an obstruction of the airway passage, patients may also suffer grating sounds during breathing. The presentation in adult cases may also be characterized by a muffling of voice. If the condition is at advanced stages where the airway has been completely blocked, the manifestation is bluish discoloration of the skin following hypoxemic developments.
Assessing Risk Factors
While the presence of the classic clinical symptoms offers a chance for making a positive conclusion during the investigation, their presence is not adequate as the presentation is shared with other respiratory infections. The aspect makes assessing risk factors also a key diagnostic factor as it leads to establishing the significant association. For instance, the presence of the symptoms in individuals with non-competent immune systems is a strong indication of the possibility of the epiglottis, thus the need for differential diagnosis. The concept is well documented, where suppression of immune system exposes individuals to necrotizing epiglottitis. Another element of history taking should be compliance with a conjugated vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type B, as non-vaccination increases the chances of infection by 95% (Black et al., 2000). Other aspects of identifying epiglottitis in outpatient clinical setting should be inquiring about family history, as genetic polymorphism is a predisposing factor.
References
Schottke, D. (2010). Emergency medical responder: Your first response in emergency care. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Black, S., Shinefield, H., Fireman, B., Lewis, E., Ray, P., Hansen, J. R., Elvin, L., Ensor, K. M., Hackell, J., Siber, G., Malinoski, F., Madore, D,, Chang, I., Kohberger, R., Watson, W., Austrian, R., & Edwards, K. (2000). Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children. Northern California Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center Group. The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 19(3), 187-195.
