Citation

Wang T, Nie C, Zhang H, Zeng XQ, Yu HT, Shi SP, Wei ZR, Shi XQ. Chin. Med. J. 2018; 131(17): 2125-2127.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou 563006, China; Center for Injury Research and Policy, Center for Pediatric Trauma Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Chinese Medical Association)

DOI

10.4103/0366-6999.239312

PMID

30127227

Abstract

To the Editor: Burn is a type of injury that is common to children and is likely to endanger the child's lifelong health, reduce the family's well-being, and increase the social burden of disease and economic losses. A 2017 report by the World Health Organization indicated that an estimated 180,000 deaths every year were caused by burns, which occurred especially in low- and middle-income countries.[1] In developing countries, such as China, the hospitalization costs for pediatric burn patients have increased rapidly in recent years.[2] In addition, serious sequelae of burns such as cicatricial contracture cause dysfunction or disability and growth disturbances and affect the quality of life of children and their families. Multiple surgeries for dealing with burn scars lead to long length of hospital stay (LOS) and also cause children to be absent from school and reduce the working hours of parents.

The northern Guizhou Province is located in a remote area of southwest China at a high altitude. Although the winters are very cold and long, the homes have no central heating system. Because of the poor economy and cultural habit, people warm themselves in winter and spring by using coal stoves and hot water. Many parents work far away from home, and their children are mostly taken care of by grandparents who are only able to offer poor supervision.

To the best of our knowledge, few epidemiological studies have investigated hospitalized children with burns in Guizhou province. In this study, we analyzed the clinical data for children with burns who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University. We aimed to detail the epidemiological characteristics and the burden of disease for children with burn and the possible factors affecting LOS and hospitalization cost to provide an approach for effective measures to prevent and manage pediatric burns ...

Language: en