ArticleBMC women's health2022
Rare causes of genital fistula in nine African countries: a retrospective review.
Article in BMC women's health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association Between Sexual Violence and Reported Anorectal Symptoms Among Adults: A Systematic Review.International urogynecology journal · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Gynecological Fistulae-Has Anything Changed in the Diagnosis and Treatment over the Last Decade? A Narrative Literature Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Review
- Causal Link between Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Fistula: Evidence from Mendelian Randomization Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- A retrospective review of genital fistula occurrence in nine African countries.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMost genital fistulas result from prolonged, obstructed labor or surgical complications. Other causes include trauma (from accidents, traditional healers, or sexual violence), radiation, carcinoma, infection, unsafe abortion, and congenital malformation.
methodsThis retrospective records review focuses on rare fistula causes among 6,787 women who developed fistula after 1980 and sought treatment between 1994 and 2017 in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan. We compare fistula etiologies across countries and assess associations between rare causes and type of incontinence (urine, feces, or both).
resultsRare fistula accounted for 1.12% (76/6,787) of all fistulas, including traumatic accidents (19/6,787, 0.28%), traumatic sexual violence (15/6,787, 0.22%), traumatic injuries caused by traditional healers (13/6,787, 0.19%), unsafe abortion (10/6,791, 0.15%), radiation (8/6,787, 0.12%), complications of HIV infection (6/6,787, 0.09%), and congenital abnormality (5/6,787, 0.07%). Trauma caused by traditional healers was a particular problem among Somali women.
conclusionFistulas attributable to rare causes illuminate a variety of risks confronting women. Fistula repair training materials should distinguish trauma caused by traditional healers as a distinct fistula etiology. Diverse causes of fistula call for multi-pronged strategies to reduce fistula incidence.
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Registered trials
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