Reconstruction of Noma Sequelae: A Surgical Treatment Algorithm Developed from Lessons from 210 Cases in Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT: Noma is an infectious disease affecting mostly children aged 0-10. Although it has almost completely disappeared from the Western world, it is still prevalent in many developing regions, mainly Africa's Sahel region. The infection behaves like a necrotizing fasciitis of the face, originating from the gums and progressively expanding into the cheek, nose, or eye regions. In an estimated 90% of cases, the disease is lethal as a result of systemic sepsis. For survivors, typical results are extensive defects of the cheek, nose, and periorbital and perioral regions. Due to the defects, extensive scarring is common, which leads to secondary problems such as growth alterations in an infant's skeleton due to inhibition and restraint of growth resulting typically in cicatricial skeletal hypoplasia.

SUBMITTER: Rakhorst HA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9988273 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature