The severity of psychosocial (appearance anxiety and social phobia) and functional morbidity among patients presented with non-treated Noma-induced facial disfigurements in Ethiopia

Abstract

Objectives Noma is an Orofacial disfiguring disease that affects the oral cavity and mid-facial structures. If left untreated, the condition is fatal. Noma creates severe cosmetic and functional defects among survivors, which leads to psychiatric and social problems. However, there is limited data on psychosocial and functional sequelae(morbidity) associated with the condition. This study aimed to assess the psychosocial and functional morbidity among patients presented with non-treated Noma-induced facial disfigurement in Ethiopia. The study also investigated patients' postsurgical outcome expectations from the awaiting surgical procedure. Results A total of 32 Noma cases (19 females & 13 males) waiting for the upcoming surgical campaigns were involved in this study. The study participants reported severe social (Likert’s score = 2.8) and psychological (Likert’s score = 3.0) morbidity. The functional limitation was moderate (Likert’s score = 2.9). Except for 15% (n=5), the remaining 85% (n=27) of the study participants expected that the surgery wouldhelp them to overcome the disease-induced psychosocial, functional, and aesthetic problems.