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Peer-reviewedCC BYAnnals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases

Herpes Simplex Virus Laryngitis Presenting as Airway Obstruction

  • Jyoti Samant1
  • Charitha Karanam Ramapathy1
  • Binay Kshetree1
  • Areej Rahman2
  • Samuel G. Borak3
  1. 11Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Montgomery Regional Campus, Montgomery, Alabama
  2. 22JenCare Senior Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
  3. 33Community Practice Pathology Program, Department of Pathology, Baptist Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Montgomery, Alabama
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Abstract

Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) are a rare cause of laryngitis leading to an unusual complication of airway obstruction. Diagnosis is often delayed owing to nonspecific symptoms and the need for direct laryngoscopy, which reveals mass-like, nodular or ulcerative lesions with extensive edema. Biopsy of lesions done to rule out malignancy unexpectedly reveals characteristic viral cytopathic effects leading to diagnosis of HSV laryngitis. Due to delayed diagnosis, life-threatening complications of airway obstruction can occur requiring emergent endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy. We describe a rare case of HSV laryngitis presenting as a laryngeal mass causing airway obstruction.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{samant2026herpes,
  title = {{Herpes Simplex Virus Laryngitis Presenting as Airway Obstruction}},
  author = {Jyoti Samant and Charitha Karanam Ramapathy and Binay Kshetree and Areej Rahman and Samuel G. Borak},
  journal = {Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.7326/aimcc.2026.0163},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.7326/aimcc.2026.0163},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Herpes Simplex Virus Laryngitis Presenting as Airway Obstruction
AU  - Jyoti Samant
AU  - Charitha Karanam Ramapathy
AU  - Binay Kshetree
AU  - Areej Rahman
AU  - Samuel G. Borak
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/03
JO  - Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
DO  - 10.7326/aimcc.2026.0163
UR  - https://doi.org/10.7326/aimcc.2026.0163
AB  - Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) are a rare cause of laryngitis leading to an unusual complication of airway obstruction. Diagnosis is often delayed owing to nonspecific symptoms and the need for direct laryngoscopy, which reveals mass-like, nodular or ulcerative lesions with extensive edema. Biopsy of lesions done to rule out malignancy unexpectedly reveals characteristic viral cytopathic effects leading to diagnosis of HSV laryngitis. Due to delayed diagnosis, life-threatening complications of airway obstruction can occur requiring emergent endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy. We describe a rare case of HSV laryngitis presenting as a laryngeal mass causing airway obstruction.
SN  - 2767-7664
ER  -