Etiology

Edema of the glottis is a very serious affection. It is not often met with. Of course, it is caused by wrong life.

Symptoms

There is difficult breathing, gradually increasing in intensity. It strikes terror to the patient, and fear increases the trouble. It may be brought on by various influences--scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid fever. In all these cases there is a kidney derangement, and perhaps albumin in the urine.

Treatment

The patient must be examined to find out what is the matter. If there is anything wrong with the kidneys, it must be corrected. Just what the application should be to the throat, should be left to the patient. If ice feels most comfortable, it should be applied. If heat feels more comfortable, then very hot cloths should be applied. If the symptoms are urgent, and death is threatening, a spray of cocaine may give relief. Before resorting to this kind of relief, however, the physician should make up his mind as to whether the case is desperate enough to justify tracheotomy. It should not be postponed too long. Possibly using the spray of cocaine or other drugs might cause the disease to travel down the trachea. This would complicate affairs by causing edema to spring up in the trachea at perhaps the point where the tracheotomy tube would be inserted; and should the edema establish itself below the point of the tracheotomy tube, the patient would be tortured with the operation for no purpose, as death will soon take him from his torment.