Citation

Bahar MA, Pakyari M, Bahar R. Asian Biomed. Res. Rev. News 2014; 8(2): 241-245.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University)

DOI

10.5372/1905-7415.0802.285

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Burns are a major public health problem. They often require intensive care and long periods of hospitalization. In Tehran, about 5% of all hospitalized injuries are burns. There are no published long-term epidemiological studies regarding burn injuries of adults in Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for burn injuries and provide a starting point for the establishment of an effective prevention plan.

METHODS: We analyzed the demographic, etiological, and clinical data of 1860 burn patients admitted to a major acute care hospital in Tehran between March 2010 and April 2011. Data were obtained from the registry recorded in Shahid Motahari Trauma Hospital and evaluated using a chi-square test.

RESULTS: Males were more than twice as likely to be burn patients than females (72.0% vs. 28.0%). Second and third-degree burns with a body surface area of 21%-30% constituted the highest injury reported (75.3%). The most common causes of the recorded burns were natural gas, gasoline (42%) and open fire (10.2%). Unintentional burns were reported in 85% of the cases, and 15% of the burn victims were suicide-related incidents; mainly among women. In 75% of suicide attempts, women set themselves on fire to commit suicide. The mean duration of hospitalization was 25 days and the mortality rate was 10.7%. Mean age of reported deaths was 38.6 years; with a mean of 30 years among women and 51.5 years among men.

CONCLUSION: The group at highest risk was young men 21-30 years old. However, an astonishing finding was that 75% of suicidal-related incidents involved women setting themselves on fire. Those with the highest mortality rate were victims of burns with gas, gasoline, and kerosene; with a mean age of 30 years of death among women.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent; adult; human; burn; Mortality; child; female; infant; male; Morbidity; Burns; Hospitalization; Iran; sex difference; mortality; suicide attempt; emergency care; hospitalization; risk factor; article; major clinical study; Etiology; clinical study; fire; gasoline; Tehran; trend study; natural gas; body surface; burn patient; Demographic data