J05.1: Acute epiglottitis

Your epiglottis is inflamed.

The larynx can be seen as a bulging area at the front of the neck. The epiglottis is located in the upper larynx. The opening into the windpipe is beneath the epiglottis. The opening into the gullet is behind the windpipe. When we swallow, the epiglottis closes the windpipe. As a result, the food slides entirely into the gullet. The epiglottis is covered with mucous membrane.

When the epiglottis is inflamed, the mucous membrane of the epiglottis swells up. The swelling can severely constrict the opening into the windpipe. As a result, you may get shortness of breath or an increased flow of saliva.

When we swallow, the epiglottis moves. With each movement, the swelling on the epiglottis is squeezed. As a result, you may have severe pain when swallowing.

A high fever is also typical for an inflammation of the epiglottis.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).