Epiglottitis typically strikes children between the ages of two and eight years. It is a critical condition, one that can prove fatal if appropriate emergency treatment is not implemented. Epiglottitis may begin as a respiratory infection, progressing to complete upper airway obstruction within two to five hours. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing and swallowing, a harsh, grating or creaking sound when breathing, high fever, sore throat, restlessness, irritability, and drooling. Emergency treatment is necessary and includes endotracheal intubation or a tracheotomy, oxygen therapy, and the administration of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Patients always receive antibiotics.
For more on childhood diseases, including whooping cough, turn to Chapter 12. Other Serious Respiratory Illnesses Return to top Legionnaires' disease got its name from the highly publicized outbreak that occurred in 1976 during an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. Legionnaires' disease is usually an acute bronchopneumonia accompanied by diarrhea, malaise, body aches and headaches, loss of appetite, recurrent chills, and a fever that occurs within 12 to 48 hours and rises as high as 105 degrees. Patients subsequently develop a dry cough that may later produce grayish and sometimes blood-streaked sputum. Other possible symptoms of legionnaires' disease include disorientation, vomiting, nausea, mental sluggishness, and mild, temporary amnesia.