Uvulectomies and Associated Complications

Jacobson, Rebecca; Ladizinski, Barry; Lee, Kachiu C.

doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.1128

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…Some of our participants firmly believed that a child suffering from kimeo will die if uvulectomy is not performed, or if the cutting is delayed since the elongated uvula would then rupture and cause the child's death. While this belief has been reported also from Ethiopia and Hausa-speaking communities in Niger and Nigeria [4,23,24], it has not previously been reported in studies from Tanzania [2,30,32]. We argue that this fear may be an important factor for the social acceptability of uvulectomy in Dar es Salaam and the sense of urgency that some caregivers feel.…”

Section: Professional Health Providers Are Unable To Treat the Folk I...supporting

confidence: 41%

“…The surgery encompasses a variety of practices and often varies between different ethnic groups within the same country. In some communities, the cutting has been classified as "ritual" and it is carried out on neonates, while in some it is curative against vomiting and diarrhoea, and in yet others it is a prophylactic measure against vomiting [5,6,23,24].…”

Section: Uvulectomy By Professional Health Staff and Folk Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The folk illness kimeo and “traditional” uvulectomy: an ethnomedical study of care seeking for children with cough and weakness in Dar es Salaam

Lange

Mfaume²

2022

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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Background Amputation of the uvula by lay providers, so-called “traditional uvulectomy”, is common in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, the procedure is a treatment of persistent cough, and in some areas of the country, one in three children have been cut. Previous research from Sub-Saharan Africa suggest that uvulectomy by lay providers can increase morbidity and mortality in children, but few studies have examined the cultural ideas and practices that are linked to this form of lay surgery. Methods This ethnomedical study took place in Dar es Salaam. Ten focus group discussions with a total of 43 caregivers in three different administrative districts were carried out, focusing on their perceptions of uvulectomy, the folk illness kimeo, and their experiences with taking a child for cutting. Four folk practitioners who carry out uvulectomies were interviewed individually, with a special focus on their background, and their perceptions of kimeo and uvulectomy. Results Caregivers in Dar es Salaam typically take children who suffer from cough, vomiting and weakness to a professional health provider as a first recourse. If the child does not get well relatively quickly, some start fearing that their child may suffer from the folk illness kimeo. Kimeo is perceived by some to be an acute, life-threatening illness that professional health providers are incapable of treating. Folk practitioners treat kimeo by amputating the uvula using forceps. The four interviewed practitioners had learned their skill in apprenticeship, and two of them were third generation uvula cutters. Caregivers regard the folk practitioners as experts who offer a service that is perceived as both efficient and safe. Conclusions Efforts should be made to improve the quality of professional health services for children presenting with cough, including more open communication with caregivers about the folk illness kimeo. More research is needed to establish the clinical conditions that children who are taken for uvulectomy suffer from, to what degree the practice delays professional health care for underlying illnesses like pneumonia, and the negative effects of the cutting itself.

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Section: Professional Health Providers Are Unable To Treat the Folk I...supporting

confidence: 41%

Section: Uvulectomy By Professional Health Staff and Folk Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The folk illness kimeo and “traditional” uvulectomy: an ethnomedical study of care seeking for children with cough and weakness in Dar es Salaam

Lange

Mfaume²

2022

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…As discussed earlier, bifid uvula was found to be more common in males than in females. [ 7 , 14 ] The present work also reported that the incidental finding of bifid uvula was in the male gender. [ 15 ]…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Bifid Uvula—An Enigma

Prasad

Khalil

Desai

et al. 2023

Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences

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Facial development involves an intricate regulatory mechanism that accounts for numerous craniofacial abnormalities, common being orofacial clefts. Although cleft in the secondary palate accounts for one-third of orofacial clefts stills remains an under-researched domain. Hence, in this work, the authors put forth two non-syndromic, asymptomatic cleft uvulae reported among bimodal male patients of the Indian-Asiatic population who came up for dental screening. Most of the time, isolated/asymptomatic cleft uvula patients will be reluctant to further investigations and treatment. Although bifid uvula looks benign in most patients, it may sometimes be associated with catastrophic complications. To conclude, whenever bifid uvula is an incidental finding, it is the responsibility of the healthcare worker to plan a thorough patient workup as a primary preventive measure to rule out any complications whenever feasible. It can help us overcome many future unforeseen sequelae and emergency management due to bifid uvula.

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“…Although these marvelous effects seem unrealistic, uvulectomy might be considered logical for heavy snorers (4). Nonetheless, uvulectomy is not a complication-free procedure and numerous problems might be seen after uvulectomy including velopharyngeal insufficiency and pharyngeal dryness (7). Various theories have been proposed about the functions of the uvula:…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Double Uvula in a Fifty-Six-Year-Old Woman

Çatlı¹

2014

Iran Red Crescent Med J

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Introduction:Deformities of the uvula are considered as the dark area of otorhinolaryngology practice. This little and plain part of the human organism has various functions and its abnormalities might cause serious disabilities.Case Presentation:In our case report, we present a unique deformity of the uvula in a 56-year-old woman.Discussion:The aim of this report was to present a very rare condition, unique case “polyuvula”, and to review the literature regarding other uvula abnormalities.

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Uvulectomies and Associated Complications

Cited by 5 publications

References 2 publications

The folk illness kimeo and “traditional” uvulectomy: an ethnomedical study of care seeking for children with cough and weakness in Dar es Salaam

The folk illness kimeo and “traditional” uvulectomy: an ethnomedical study of care seeking for children with cough and weakness in Dar es Salaam

Bifid Uvula—An Enigma

Double Uvula in a Fifty-Six-Year-Old Woman

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