Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis - A Forgotten Disease? Dr. Shaun Adam - Stellenbosch University
The question is whether RRP is a forgotten disease only for high-income developed countries? We know that the incidence remains high in South Africa, JORRP forms 80% of our RRP patients, and they commonly present with stridor, acute airway compromise, and / or respiratory distress. Africa is both the second largest and second most populated continent. It has been modelled to be the fastest growing population on Earth, with more than half of the world’s growth estimated to be from Africa by 2100. Most countries in Africa have high fertility rates and little family planning. Forty-one percent of the African population is reportedly younger than 15 years of age.
The aim of the study is to investigate JORRP and AORRP patients at Tygerberg Hospital. Tygerberg Hospital serves a direct population of roughly 3.8 million people. The total population of the Cape Town metropole is 4.77 million and that of the Western Cape province 7.43 million. However, we also treat many patients from other provinces and numerous countries from Sub-Saharan Africa. The profile of the JORRP and AORRP patients has never been described, nor the HPV subtypes, for Tygerberg Hospital. The aim is to collect and analyse local data. We have also been vaccinating children with RRP, with quadrivalent Gardisil® (HPV 6,11,16 and 18) for many years but have never studied and reported on them. Lastly, we would like to investigate the association between HIV status and RRP disease both from a child’s and mother’s perspectives.