TITLE:
Clinical Aspects and Management of Children in Otorhinolaryngological Consultation: Case of University Clinics of Lubumbashi (DR Congo)
AUTHORS:
Yowa Muya Sandra, Kanteng Gray, Nyembo Luty Albert, Mutombo Mulangu Augustin, Luboya Numbi Oscar
KEYWORDS:
Otorhinolaryngology, Consultations, Children, DR Congo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.6 No.9,
September
19,
2019
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Otorhinolaryngological pathologies in children are a problem in sub-Saharan Africa because they are frequent and complex, yet poorly described, and their management poses a real challenge. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical and therapeutic characteristics, as well as to establish a diagnostic and topographic grouping of the main ENT diseases in children attending the ENT department of the University Clinics of Lubumbashi (DR Congo). Methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective study was conducted over a period of 2 years, from January 2014 to December 2015, 309 cases of children under 19 years of age were recorded. Results: An overall consultation frequency of 19.05% was noted. The mean age was 7.08 ± 5.37 years and 48.8% of cases were less than 5 years old. 1.9% of cases were referred; 58.3% of cases received initial self-medication before consulting. In the hospital, antibiotic treatment was prescribed in 67.2% of cases, anti-inflammatory in 62.8% of cases and surgery was nec-essary for 2% of cases. Otitis was the most common (37.7%), followed by tonsillitis (20.7%) and cerumen impaction (20.7%). Otologic complaints dominated with 67.7%; Otalgia and otorrhea were the most common com-plaints. In the field of rhinology, rhinorrhea and nasal encryption were pre-dominant, while odynophagia and cough dominated complaints in laryn-gopharyngology and appendices. Conclusion: ENT pathologies in children are frequent and dominated by infectious pathology. Their management is often simple and their evolution generally favorable.