Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects of Pharyngolaryngeal Pathologies in ENT Health Care

Abstract

<i>Goal: </i>The aim was to establish the epidemiological and clinical profile of patients diagnosed with pharyngo-laryngeal pathologies. <i>Methods</i>: This is a descriptive prospective study conducted in ENT heath care service over a period of one year. The present study was done in the ENT-HNS department of the Reference Health Center of Commune V of Bamako. We consulted and included all patients that were visiting for the first time for pharyngo-laryngeal pathology. In addition, former patients who came for a second or umpteenth consultation and those admitted to another department requesting an ENT opinion were not included. <i>Results: </i>The pharyngo-laryngeal pathologies represented 15.21% (658 patients) of the total heath examination done on 4326 patients. We identified 60% women and 40% men. The age group 0-10 years constituted 42.10% of the cases. The average age was 19 years, while the extremes were 12 days and 83 years. The reasons for consultation were as follow: odynophagia (47.42%), fever (42.71%), rhinorrhea (41.64%), nasal obstruction (25.84%), headache (18.84%), and a cough (12.92%). Angina accounted for 37.39%, nasopharyngitis 29.78%, pharyngitis 27.20%, phlegmon-peri-tonsillar 2.74%, adenoids and laryngitis each 0.76%, foreign bodies 0.61%, laryngomalacia 0.46%, hypopharyngeal tumors and laryngeal papillomatosis each accounted for 0.15% of diagnoses. <i>Conclusion: </i>Pharyngo-laryngeal pathologies are dominated by inflammatory and infectious pathologies.