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Case Reports: Unusual association of diseases/symptoms
Monkeypox presenting as supraglottitis in an immunocompromised patient
  1. Dora Amos1,
  2. Jennifer Collins2 and
  3. David T Walker3,4
  1. 1 Otolaryngology, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK
  2. 2 Otolaryngology, Frimley Park Hospital, Camberley, UK
  3. 3 Otolaryngology Department, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Guildford, UK
  4. 4 ENT Deparment, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Dora Amos; Dora.amos{at}nhs.net

Abstract

We describe a young man with AIDS who presented to the ear, nose and throat team with a severe sore throat mimicking supraglottitis. He had a 3-day history of sore throat, hoarse voice, fevers and myalgia. On examination, he had cervical lymphadenopathy and profuse pus overlying his right tonsil. On flexible nasoendoscopy, this pus was seen to track down to the supraglottis, with associated mucosal ulceration. The patient was treated for supraglottitis and he improved. 24 hours postadmission, a pustule suspicious for monkeypox developed on the patient’s hand. The diagnosis was confirmed by PCR testing. The patient was isolated and treated supportively and recovered fully. This case highlights that monkeypox may present with a severe sore throat without cutaneous lesions. Monkeypox is a growing public health concern . Its early symptoms are non-specific and healthcare professionals should be alert to it.

  • Infectious diseases
  • HIV / AIDS
  • Public health
  • HIV / AIDS
  • Otolaryngology / ENT

This article is made freely available to access and read on the journal website in accordance with BMJ's website terms and conditions for the duration of the monkeypox emergency or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may download and print the article for personal or non-commercial use provided all copyright notices and trademarks are retained. If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the request permissions link.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2022-252213

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors DA researched and drafted the paper. JC edited the paper. DTW supervised the project.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.