Bacterial tracheitis may occur in any pediatric age group. Gallagher et al reported 161 cases of patients younger than 16 years. [9] 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.
Sex
Frequency
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.
Mortality/Morbidity
United States: A study that described the frequency and severity of complications in hospitalized children younger than 18 years with seasonal influenza (during 2003-2009) and 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) (during 2009-2010) reported that out of 7293 children hospitalized with influenza, less than 2% had complications from tracheitis. However, along with other rare complications, tracheitis was associated with a median hospitalization duration of more than 6 days, with 48%-70% of children requiring intensive care.
In most epidemiologic studies, male cases are preponderant. Gallagher et al reported a male-tofemale predominance of 2:1.
Age
