Recurrent Steroid-Responsive Epiglottitis Following Cord Blood Transplantation: A Case Report

Epiglottitis is an acute inflammation of the epiglottis, typically caused by bacterial infections and potentially life-threatening due to rapid airway obstruction. There are extremely rare case reports of epiglottitis as a complication following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). We report a 56-year-old female case with adult T-cell lymphoma (ATL) who suffered from recurrent epiglottitis after cord blood transplantation (CBT). Her epiglottitis was refractory to empirical antibiotic therapy. However, it responded promptly to corticosteroids, preventing the development of severe respiratory failure. This report implicated the importance of recognizing non-infectious epiglottic inflammation in the setting of transplantation and cellular therapy. Trial Registration: The authors have confirmed clinical trial registration is not needed for this submission.