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Epiglottitis Causes

Conditions that cause epiglottitis include infectious, chemical, and traumatic agents. Infectious is the most common. H influenzae type b was once the most common cause prior to vaccination. Currently, other organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi are the causes, especially among adults.

• Various organisms that can cause epiglottitis include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, varicella-zoster, herpes simplex virus type 1, and Staphylococcus aureus, among others.
  
  
• Other types of epiglottitis that are not caused by infection include hot things that may injure the epiglottis. Heat damage that results in epiglottitis is also known as thermal epiglottitis. Thermal epiglottitis occurs from drinking hot liquids, eating solid foods, or using illicit drugs such as inhalation of metal pieces from crack cocaine pipes or the tip of marijuana cigarettes. In these cases the epiglottitis from thermal injury is similar to the illness caused by infection.
  
  
• Unusual causes of epiglottitis include brown recluse spider bites to the ear, which may result in swelling or eating buffalo fish, which may cause an allergiclike reaction and swelling. Blunt trauma or something blocking the throat may also lead to epiglottitis.