Citation

Saadat M, Zendeh-Boodi Z. Ann. Epidemiol. 2006; 16(9): 708-711.

Affiliation

Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American College of Epidemiology, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.annepidem.2005.12.006

PMID

16549366

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to obtain more insight into the possible association between consanguinity and the incidence of deliberate self-burning. METHODS: Data were obtained by analysis of medical records of patients hospitalized in two referral burn centers: Chormy Burn Center (Bushehr Province, south of Iran) from March 21, 1998, through March 20, 2004, and Shahid Sadoqi Center of Burns and Injuries (Yazd Province, center of Iran) from March 21, 2000, through March 20, 2004. RESULTS: The incidence of suicidal burns was 6.51 and 2.32/100,000 person-years for Bushehr and Yazd Provinces, respectively. The observed sex ratio of patients in both centers indicated there was a female predominance in patients with self-inflicted burns. Using patients' home addresses, patients were sorted into 16 cities. The incidence of suicide by self-burning ranged from 0.80 (for Tabas, located in Yazd Province) to 12.60/100,000 person-years (for Dilam, located in Bushehr Province). The coefficient of inbreeding defines the probability that an individual received both alleles of a pair from an identical ancestral source. There was a significant correlation between incidences of suicidal burns and mean coefficient of inbreeding (r = 0.782, df = 14, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In addition to other factors, consanguineous marriage may be a risk factor that influences the incidence of suicidal burns in a population.