Clinical, epidemiological and therapeutical characterization of children with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

Introduction: The recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is an uncommon disease of the airways that affects children and adults, caused by the papillomavirus. Objective: To characterize children with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis from the clinical, epidemiologic and therapeutic points of view, as well as to evaluate their clinical course at short and mid terms. Methods: An observational, longitudinal and prospective investigation of 40 children with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis was carried out, they were assisted in the Otolaryngology Service of Dr. Antonio María Béguez Cesar Teaching Southern Children Hospital in Santiago de Cuba, from January, 2010 to December, 2016. Results: The patients included in the study represented 3.2 % of the total of admissions. The male sex prevailed (60.0 %); the average age was 8.6 ± 4 years. Statistical association existed between the anatomical localization of the lesions and the male sex; however, there was no such association with the age. The oropharyngeal (50.0 %) and laryngeal (42.5 %) localizations were those of more observance. The transvaginal childbirth was associated with the higher number of patients that presented the mentioned disorder (85.0 %) and the treatment with exeresis and Interferon was associated with the satisfactory clinical course in 95.8 % of those affected. Conclusions: The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis of this case material don't differ from the world epidemiological context, being an unusual observation entity, but not strange in the pediatrics services.