Sarah Silverman was recently hospitalized for epiglottitis and apparently in very bad condition. Huh? What exactly is epiglottits? (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Showtime/AP Images)

Comedian Sarah Silverman has indicated that she is "insanely lucky to be alive" after being hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) with epiglottitis. You may be asking, hospitalized with what? Epi got what?

Your epiglottis is a lid made out of cartilage that sits on top of the entrance to your larynx, the pipe that leads your lungs. This lid is supposed to close every time you swallow so that food, drink, saliva and Skittles don't go down into lungs and instead move down your esophagus into your stomach. Think of the epiglottis as a lid that effectively says, "No, no, no, don't you even dare come down here (into the lungs)." When the epiglottis malfunctions, things can make it down into the lungs and cause damage and pneumonia. Adding an -itis to the name of a body part means that the body part is inflamed and swollen (such as dermatitis, which is inflamed skin, and arthritis, which is swollen joints.) When the epiglottis gets inflamed and swollen, it can clog up your airway (larynx) so that you cannot get air into your lungs and thus be life-threatening. Here's Silverman's tweet about it:

She credits those who saved her life including Dr. Shawn Nasseri, Dr. Robert Naruse, Dr. Rob Huizenga and many nurses, technicians and therapists at Cedars Sinai Hospital.

Different things can cause epiglottitis such as hot liquids, smoking crack cocaine, injury to the throat, bacteria (e.g., Haemophilus influenzae type b, also known as Hib; Streptococcus A, B or C; and Streptococcus pneumoniae), viruses (e.g., chicken pox virus) and fungi. Bacteria is the most common cause. In babies, Hib is most common (not smoking crack cocaine). Therefore, vaccinating your children against Hib is important. Typically children start receiving the Hib vaccine at 2 months of age and then continue on to get additional doses at 4 months and 6 months old as well as a booster dose between 12 and 15 months old.

What are some of the symptoms of epiglottitis? Sore throat, fever, hoarse voice, a funny noise when you breathe (sounding a little like the Bee Gees), difficulty breathing and swallowing, and drooling (assuming that there is no other reason you should be drooling). These symptoms may be more difficult to detect in children, so additionally look for anxiousness and restlessness (OK, I know that children may always seem this way) and improvement in breathing when the child sits up or leans forward. If you suspect epiglottitis, see a doctor or go to the emergency room immediately. Doctors can detect epiglottitis by examining your throat using a tube with a camera, taking x-rays of your throat and testing your throat for bacteria. Treatment is antibiotics only if a bacterial infection is suspected. Otherwise, you may need steroids (no, not the get-buff-and-dominate-sports type of steroids) to reduce the swelling and an oxygen mask to help breathing. If you really can't breathe, the doctor may need to insert a needle or tube into your throat to help you breathe. In severe cases, such as apparently what happened to Silverman, you may need to be in the ICU and have a machine assist your breathing.

How do you avoid epiglottitis? Well, aside from not pouring scalding pumpkin spice lattes down your throat, you should wash your hands frequently, get the Hib vaccine if you are an infant (which would be remarkable if you are reading this), refrain from sharing cups and utensils with people who are sick, and make sure you see a doctor if your suspect that you have a more severe throat infection (such as strep throat, which can lead to epiglottitis).

Most of all, remember that life can be fragile. Be grateful, helpful and nice to others. Pettiness, unnecessary politics, sexism, racism and other -ism's just aren't worth it. You never know when one day you could go from being healthy to hospitalized or worse.
