Mortality/Morbidity
Sex
Frequency: International
Frequency : United States
Age
Bacterial tracheitis may occur in any pediatric age group. Gallagher et al reported 161 cases of patients younger than 16 years. The age range was from 3 weeks to 16 years, with a mean age of 4 years. This is in contrast to viral laryngotracheobronchitis, which occurs in patients aged 6 months to 3 years.
In most epidemiologic studies, male cases are preponderant. Gallagher et al reported a male-to- female predominance of 2:1.
Tan and Manoukian reported that 500 children were hospitalized for croup at one pediatric hospital over a 32-month period. Approximately 98% had viral croup, and 2% had bacterial tracheitis. Cases usually occur in the fall or winter months, mimicking the epidemiology of viral croup.
The predominant morbidity and mortality is related to the potential for acute upper airway obstruction and induced hypoxic insults. The mortality rate has been estimated at 4-20%. In the acute phase, patients generally do well if the airway is adequately managed and if antibiotic therapy is promptly initiated.
According to a recent study, bacterial tracheitis remains a rare condition, with an estimated incidence of approximately 0.1 cases per 100,000 children per year.
