Coliseum Medical Centers Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Mercer School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA
Matthew Solomon
Brown University, Providence, RL, USA
Sidhartha Ramlatchan
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Paul Banerjee
Coliseum Medical Centers Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Mercer School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA; Brown University, Providence, RL, USA; Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA; Envision Physician Services, Plantation, FL, USA
Latha Ganti
Coliseum Medical Centers Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Mercer School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA; University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA; Envision Physician Services, Plantation, FL, USA; Corresponding author at: Coliseum Medical Centers Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Mercer School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA.
The authors present a case of a 33-year-old African American male with respiratory diphtheria. The patient was initially assumed to have a peritonsillar abscess before various laboratory tests. He complained of dysphagia, throat pain, and shortness of breath. The patient’s physical examination, supported by video laryngoscopy imaging and a CT scan, showed swelling of his pharynx. The patient reports that he was recently incarcerated for one year and did not receive immunizations as a child. Following his diagnosis, the patient was treated and subsequently recovered.
