Tracheitis is an inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 of the trachea

Vertebrate trachea

In tetrapod anatomy the trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with goblet cells that produce mucus...

.

Although the trachea is usually considered part of the lower respiratory tract

Lower respiratory tract

The term lower respiratory tract refers to the portions of the respiratory system from the trachea to the lungs.Lower respiratory tract infections can be the cause of several serious illnesses, including pneumonia....

, in ICD-10

ICD-10

The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision is a medical classification list for the coding of diseases, signs and symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or diseases, as maintained by the...

 tracheitis is classified under "Acute upper respiratory infections".

Bacterial tracheitis

Bacterial tracheitis is a bacterial infection of the trachea

Vertebrate trachea

In tetrapod anatomy the trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with goblet cells that produce mucus...

 and is capable of producing airway obstruction.

One of the most common causes is Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive coccal bacterium. It is frequently found as part of the normal skin flora on the skin and nasal passages. It is estimated that 20% of the human population are long-term carriers of S. aureus. S. aureus is the most common species of...

and often follows a recent viral upper respiratory infection. It is the most serious in young children, possibly because of the relatively small size of the trachea that gets easily blocked by swelling. The most frequent sign is the rapid development of stridor

Stridor

Stridor is a high pitched wheezing sound resulting from turbulent air flow in the upper airway. Stridor is a physical sign which is produced by narrow or obstructed airway path. It can be inspiratory, expiratory or biphasic . Inspiratory stridor is common...

. It is occasionally confused with croup

Croup

Croup is a respiratory condition that is usually triggered by an acute viral infection of the upper airway. The infection leads to swelling inside the throat, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classical symptoms of a "barking" cough, stridor, and hoarseness...

.

Symptoms

• Increasing deep or barking croup cough following a previous upper respiratory infection
• Crowing sound when inhaling (inspiratory stridor)
• 'scratchy' feeling in the throat
• Chest pain
• Fever
• Ear ache
• Trouble breathing
• Headache
• Dizziness (light headed)
• Intercostal retractions

Treatment

In minor bacterial cases, it can be simply treated with a course of antibiotics. In more severe cases, it is treated by admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and intubation is performed and various monitors and tubes are used to check on the condition e.g. cardiac heart monitor chest drain so tension pneumothorax or pneumothorax or pneumonia doesn't form while ventilated.