| Diagnosis was delayed with epiglottitis considered only after standard treatment for croup resulted in no clinical improvement. |
| The occurrence of epiglottitis is decreasing in the Western world owing to an effective vaccine against H. influenzae. |
| This case highlights the importance of considering epiglottitis early in the differential diagnosis of a child presenting with upper respiratory distress or stridor. |
| Children with signs of epiglottitis, bacterial tracheitis, foreign body, chronic pulmonary disease, recent varicella, and recent steroid treatment were excluded. |
| The characteristic barking cough of croup is uncommon in epiglottitis and, in cases of croup, the epiglottis is not as inflamed and edematous. |
| Certain infections in children, most notably croup and epiglottitis, can also cause airway obstruction. |
