Uvulitis in Children

İsmail Zafer Ecevit*, Olcay Y. Jones

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The term uvula comes from “uva,” the Latin word for grape. The palatine uvula or uvula is located at the back edge of the soft palate as a projecting soft tissue in the midline of the oropharynx. It is composed of muscle fibers surrounded by connective tissue with blood vessels, lymph nodes, and the abundance of palatine glands. It is covered by an epithelial layer in continuum with the oral mucosa. Although it is often overlooked during the physical exam, the uvula is a highly sophisticated accessory tissue: mechanically, it is involved in speech and swallowing as a part of the soft palate; it also produces large quantities of saliva as a part of the digestive process in the oral cavity [1]. Isolated uvulitis described as enlarged uvula due to inflammation that can be secondary to bacterial infection, allergy, chemical exposures, and trauma is quite uncommon [2, 3]. It often manifests with an acute onset that can be life-threatening due to the risk of airway obstruction.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPediatric ENT Infections
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages551-558
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9783030806910
ISBN (Print)9783030806903
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2021

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