26-Year-Old Woman Dies Suddenly After Eating Hot Pot: A Warning on the Dangers of Acute Epiglottitis

A 26-year-old woman in China died of cardiac arrest the next day after eating birthday hot pot. The epiglottis is the lid-like part of the upper throat, and when the epiglottis is overly enlarged, as little as ten minutes may be enough to suffocate. In this regard, otolaryngologists said that eating hot and eating cold immediately may cause inflammation and edema, and abnormal work and rest, decreased immunity, and acute epiglottitis are also prone to occur.

According to a report by “Orange Persimmon News”, a 26-year-old woman recently went to a hot pot restaurant to celebrate her friend’s birthday after working overtime at night. When she got home, she felt that her throat was not comfortable, but she didn’t pay much attention because the hot pot was too spicy. In the early morning of the next day, she felt her throat became more sore and her breathing was not smooth, so she took some anti-inflammatory drugs and went to work. Unexpectedly, she suddenly suffered from chills and could not breathe air. Although she immediately asked for leave to seek medical treatment, she suddenly fell to the ground, suffered cardiac arrest, and stopped breathing as soon as she arrived at the hospital. In just 10 minutes, the rescue failed.

Zhou Guowen, deputy chief physician of the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, said that acute epiglottitis can cause high epiglottis edema, and if it is not treated in time, it may cause suffocation in a short time. There was a 21-year-old young man who stayed up late playing video games. His immune system weakened and he suddenly suffered from acute epiglottitis.

Zhou Guowen said that although acute epiglottitis is terrible, as long as you seek medical treatment in time and follow the relevant hormone treatment, the edema can be improved in a short time, and the inflammation can be controlled with antibiotics. The doctor also reminded that many people like to eat high-temperature and spicy food, which is more enjoyable when paired with iced drinks. However, hot food may accidentally burn the mucous membrane and cause edema. Causes inflammation and edema, so be careful.