Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis presenting as impending airway obstruction

The presence of poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis in the pediatric patie nt remains a diagnostic challenge to the emergency physician. The variabili ty of both! patient presentation and laboratory parameters often obscures t he diagnosis. We describe a child who presented to the emergency department with subglottic edema and the possibility of impending airway compromise. The child was admitted to the hospitals under close observation, and severa l days later, the diagnosis of poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis was mad e.