Severe anemia following uvulectomy in Kenya

Uvulectomy is a common practice in eastern Africa for treatment of a variety of throat conditions. Traditional healers perform the procedure. I present a case report to illustrate a complication of uvulectomy. This is a report of a child who presented with severe anemia secondary to uvulectomy performed for treatment of chronic cough. This case report is intended to illustrate a procedure not commonly performed by western otolaryngologists and to describe the management of a severe complication. Western physicians are increasingly being tasked in medical situations in which they encounter traditional medical practices outside of their scope of training. The intent of this report is to familiarize western physicians with one such procedure and its potential complications.