TITLE:
Difficult Airway Management in a Pediatric Patient with Noma Disease
AUTHORS:
Yasemin Akçaalan, Ezgi Erkiliç, Nilgün Çakaroğlu, Tülin Gümüş
KEYWORDS:
Editorial Letter
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol.15 No.4,
September
28,
2025
ABSTRACT: Noma disease (cancrum oris) is bacterial gangrenous necrotizing stomatitis caused by anaerobic microorganisms. The word “noma” comes from the Greek verb “nomein” meaning “to devour”, with the rapidly progressing, aggressive “tissue-eating” expression of the disease. Complex dynamic interactions among immune disorders, malnutrition, inadequate oral hygiene, and low socio-economic factors constitute the pathogenesis of Noma [1]. WHO (World Health Organization) officially declared Noma as a public health problem in 1994 [2]. It is frequently seen in sub-Saharan Africa. Noma is mostly seen in children aged 2 - 7 years. It is a rare disease in children that results in gangrenous necrosis of the soft and solid tissues of the lip, cheek, face or mandible. Noma is not a recurrent and contagious disease. It has a severe course, and if it is not detected and treated adequately, 90% of affected children will die within the first two weeks.