Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).

<h4>Background</h4>Noma (cancrum oris) is an ancient but neglected and poorly understood preventable disease, afflicting the most disenfranchised populations in the world. It is a devastating and often fatal condition that requires urgent and intensive clinical and surgical care, often d...

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Main Authors: Elise Farley, Ushma Mehta, M Leila Srour, Annick Lenglet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-12-01
Series:PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009844&type=printable
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author Elise Farley
Ushma Mehta
M Leila Srour
Annick Lenglet
author_facet Elise Farley
Ushma Mehta
M Leila Srour
Annick Lenglet
author_sort Elise Farley
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Noma (cancrum oris) is an ancient but neglected and poorly understood preventable disease, afflicting the most disenfranchised populations in the world. It is a devastating and often fatal condition that requires urgent and intensive clinical and surgical care, often difficult to access as most cases of noma occur in resource-limited settings. We conducted a scoping review of the literature published on noma to understand the size and scope of available research on the disease and identify research gaps that need to be addressed to evolve our understanding of how to address this disease.<h4>Methods</h4>We searched 11 databases and collected primary peer reviewed articles on noma in all languages, the final search was conducted on 24th August 2021. The oldest manuscript identified was from 28th March 1843 and the most recently published manuscript was from 3rd June 2021. Search terms included cancrum oris and noma. Data was extracted using a standardised data extraction tool and key areas of interest were identified. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic review and Meta-Analyses requirements were followed.<h4>Results</h4>The review included 147 articles, the majority of the studies (n = 94, 64%) were case reports. Most manuscripts (n = 81, 55%) were published in the 2000s, 49 (33%) were from the 1900s and 17 (12%) from the 1800s. The main areas of interest identified were the history and epidemiology of the disease, noma's clinical progression and aetiology, treatment regimens, mortality rates and the risk factors for the development of noma.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Noma has been reported in the literature for hundreds of years; however important gaps in our understanding of the disease remain. Future research should focus on determining the burden and distribution of disease; the true mortality rate, pathogenic cause(s) and the factors that influence prognosis and outcomes after treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-abd718d3d04c417fbe972e20894ab1fb2025-02-05T05:33:33ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352021-12-011512e000984410.1371/journal.pntd.0009844Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).Elise FarleyUshma MehtaM Leila SrourAnnick Lenglet<h4>Background</h4>Noma (cancrum oris) is an ancient but neglected and poorly understood preventable disease, afflicting the most disenfranchised populations in the world. It is a devastating and often fatal condition that requires urgent and intensive clinical and surgical care, often difficult to access as most cases of noma occur in resource-limited settings. We conducted a scoping review of the literature published on noma to understand the size and scope of available research on the disease and identify research gaps that need to be addressed to evolve our understanding of how to address this disease.<h4>Methods</h4>We searched 11 databases and collected primary peer reviewed articles on noma in all languages, the final search was conducted on 24th August 2021. The oldest manuscript identified was from 28th March 1843 and the most recently published manuscript was from 3rd June 2021. Search terms included cancrum oris and noma. Data was extracted using a standardised data extraction tool and key areas of interest were identified. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic review and Meta-Analyses requirements were followed.<h4>Results</h4>The review included 147 articles, the majority of the studies (n = 94, 64%) were case reports. Most manuscripts (n = 81, 55%) were published in the 2000s, 49 (33%) were from the 1900s and 17 (12%) from the 1800s. The main areas of interest identified were the history and epidemiology of the disease, noma's clinical progression and aetiology, treatment regimens, mortality rates and the risk factors for the development of noma.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Noma has been reported in the literature for hundreds of years; however important gaps in our understanding of the disease remain. Future research should focus on determining the burden and distribution of disease; the true mortality rate, pathogenic cause(s) and the factors that influence prognosis and outcomes after treatment.https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009844&type=printable
spellingShingle Elise Farley
Ushma Mehta
M Leila Srour
Annick Lenglet
Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
title Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).
title_full Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).
title_fullStr Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).
title_full_unstemmed Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).
title_short Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021).
title_sort noma cancrum oris a scoping literature review of a neglected disease 1843 to 2021
url https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009844&type=printable
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AT ushmamehta nomacancrumorisascopingliteraturereviewofaneglecteddisease1843to2021
AT mleilasrour nomacancrumorisascopingliteraturereviewofaneglecteddisease1843to2021
AT annicklenglet nomacancrumorisascopingliteraturereviewofaneglecteddisease1843to2021