Glotl edema, known scientifically as Larynge Quincke’s edema, is a complication that can occur during a severe allergic reaction and is characterized by swelling of the throat.
This situation is considered a medical emergency, as inflammation affecting the throat can clog airflow to the lungs by preventing breathing. What to do in case of glottis edema includes:
- Symptoms of an allergic reaction appear quickly.
- After a few minutes to a few hours of exposure to the allergy-causing substance.
- Including shortness of breath.
- A ball in the throat.
- Or wheezing.
Symptoms of glottis edema include
There are other symptoms that usually accompany glottis edema and are associated with the type of allergy, such as hives, with redness of the skin or itching, swollen eyes and lips, enlarged tongue, itching of the throat, conjunctivitis or an asthma attack, for example.
These symptoms usually appear 5 to 30 minutes after exposure to a substance that causes an allergy, which can be a drug, a food, an insect bite, temperature changes, or even a genetic predisposition, in patients with a condition called hereditary angioedema. Learn more about this disease here.
After evaluation by the medical team and confirmation of the risk of edema of glottis, the treatment is indicated, performed with drugs that will rapidly decrease the action of the immune system, and will include the application of injections containing adrenaline, antigens and corticosteroids.
As there may be severe breathing difficulties, it may be necessary to use an oxygen mask or even an orterracheal intubation, in which a tube is placed in the person’s throat so that their breathing is not blocked by swelling.