Reinke's Oedema in Africa: A Scoping Review

Reinke's oedema is a benign pathology of the vocal fold characterised by polypoidal degeneration of its subepithelial space, with resulting dysphonia and in severe cases dyspnoea. It is more common among females and smoking is a strong risk factor. Multiple conditions of the larynx ranging from benign to malignant diseases, which can also present with voice changes and dyspnoea, need to be ruled out when evaluating a patient for Reinke's oedema. The quality of evaluation can be directly influenced by the level of training and experience of the assessor and the diagnostic resources available. This can pose a challenge for the evaluation and management of Reinke's oedema in Africa, as there is a significantly low ENT surgeon-to-patient ratio within the continent, and a lot of health settings are resource-constrained. This review aimed to examine the available literature on the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of Reinke's oedema in Africa. A literature search on Reinke's oedema was conducted on PubMed, Ovid Online, and African Journal Online, from inception till date. Articles were screened for their relevance to the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of Reinke's oedema in Africa. Results were reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. No article satisfied the eligibility criteria used in this review. The dearth of literature from this scoping review could be reflective of the significantly low reach and availability of ENT services in Africa, the low percentage of females who smoke in Africa when compared to other continents, and the relatively rare nature of Reinke's oedema. Our study has established a gap in the literature and highlights a need for further research.