A Case of Acute Epiglottitis due to Neutropenia Induced by Medicines

It is quite difficult to recognize sore throat and fever as the initial symptoms of neutropenia. Since neutropenia causes serious infection and critical shock, early diagnosis and effective treatment are required to achieve a good prognosis. We report a case of acute epiglottitis due to neutropenia. A 61-year-old female complained of sudden onset of fever and sore throat. Although she took antibiotics for a few days, dyspnea was observed and emergency tracheotomy was performed based on the diagnosis of acute epiglottitis. Laboratory data indicated neutropenia, which was thought to be caused by long-term administration of immunosuppressants and analgesics for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Immediate cessation of the above medicines together with administration of both granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and steroids resulted in improvement of the patient’s clinical symptoms and signs.