Viral supraglottitis in an adult: A case presentation and literature update

Viral epiglottitis (supraglottitis) is a rare entity but its presentation c an mimic that of bacterial epiglottis, Regardless of the causative agent, s upraglottitis is a serious disease mostly affecting children and rarely see n in adults. Early suspicion and proper evaluation are mandatory to prevent a life-threatening crisis, In both children and adults the infectious aeti ology in supraglottitis is predominantly bacterial while viruses are rare, especially in adults. We describe a case of supraglottitis in an adult in w hich the symptoms were insidious and blood indices suggested a bacterial ae tiology However, laryngoscopic examination revealed an ulcer over the left aryepiglottic fold and serology was positive for Herpes simplex virus (HSV) IgM, Because supraglottitis due to HSV is a rare entity with few reported cases in the literature, this case is presented to highlight the viral invo lvement in this disease and its management. (C) The British Infection Socie ty.