In the pathogenetic evaluation of acute subglottic laryngitis (ASL) the anatomy of the child's larynx should be taken into consideration: its absolute size need not necessarily be smaller than that ...of the adult, but its relative size with respect to the developmental stage of other organs, is. The most frequently seen anaphylactic reaction of the larynx in ASL is edema. Since 1975, 284 children with ASL have been treated in our Department of Otorhinolaryngology. They have been divided into the following groups: Group A--196 children with diseases of unknown etiology; Group B--20 children with identified viral infections; and Group C--68 children with allergic reactions. All children had their histories taken and they were all submitted to clinical examination, endoscopy, laboratory tests and allergy tests. Immunological and serological determinations, as well as lung function tests markedly facilitate the identification of etiologic factors in ASL and are of considerable help in planning a therapy and preventing any relapse of the disease.
The author shows complex analyses: clinical, laboratory, X-rays, bronchoscopical, bronchographical and measuring lung function tests as well as the serological examinations in blood serum of both ...groups of asthmatic and nonasthmatic children with virological infection. The calculation of statistically significant differences between the various diagnostical results of both groups has confirmed that in asthmatic children virological infection of the respiratory tract, pathological findings in X-ray and lung function tests, bronchiectasis and secondary bacteriological invasion occurs statistically significantly more often than in nonasthmatic children.
