Epiglottitis, commonly described as a paediatric disease, also occurs in adults. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment are crucial because of the rapid and possibly lethal course of upper airway obstruction due to swelling. Initial treatment consists in securing the upper airway and in antibiotic treatment. Streptococci and, especially in children, Haemophilus influenzae b are the most common bacteria. Our study focused on clinical and epidemiological changes since children started to be vaccinated against Haemophilus influenzae b in Switzerland (1992). We reviewed patient histories of 31 adults and 88 children who were hospitalised with epiglottitis at the University Hospital of Berne between 1989 and 1999. Our findings show that the incidence of epiglottitis in children, a clinically, epidemiologically and bacteriologically homogeneous disease, has dramatically decreased. Epiglottitis in adults presents as a more heterogeneous disease without change since the beginning of the vaccination programme. Due to the variety of germs it is impossible to recommend vaccination for adults against Haemophilus influenzae b.