Which symptom is characteristic of epiglottitis?

Which symptom is characteristic of epiglottitis?

• A. Dyspnea with accessory muscle use
• B. Fever, sore throat (difficulty swallowing and drooling)
• C. Cough
• D. Shortness of breath

Answer: (B)

Epiglottitis classically causes fever with throat pain and trouble swallowing, often accompanied by drooling. The inflamed epiglottis makes swallowing painful, and saliva can accumulate because the patient avoids swallowing, leading to noticeable drooling. This combination—fever, sore throat with difficulty swallowing, and drooling—is a hallmark finding and helps distinguish epiglottitis from other airway or chest conditions. While some respiratory effort or distress can occur, a cough is not typical for epiglottitis, and shortness of breath alone is not as characteristic as the fever-plus-difficulty-swallowing-with-drooling pattern.

Epiglottitis classically causes fever with throat pain and trouble swallowing, often accompanied by drooling. The inflamed epiglottis makes swallowing painful, and saliva can accumulate because the patient avoids swallowing, leading to noticeable drooling. This combination—fever, sore throat with difficulty swallowing, and drooling—is a hallmark finding and helps distinguish epiglottitis from other airway or chest conditions. While some respiratory effort or distress can occur, a cough is not typical for epiglottitis, and shortness of breath alone is not as characteristic as the fever-plus-difficulty-swallowing-with-drooling pattern.