Demographic Assessment of Burn Injuries in Iranian Patients

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the demographic characteristics and factors influencing burn injuries,primarily in low socioeconomic societies where such incidents are prevalent due to factors such as illiteracyand poverty.Methods: This cross-sectional study included all burn patients admitted to Shahid Motahari Hospital inTehran, Iran. Demographic data such as age, sex, occupation, education level, and residence as well as detailedinformation about the burn incidents such as date, time, location, number of people present at the scene, andreferral place was collected. Additionally, comprehensive burn details such as cause, extent, severity, previoushistory, and need for hospitalization directly at the emergency department were documented.Results: The study included 2213 patients (mean age 34.98±19.41 years; range 1-96), with a men predominance(60.6%). The majority of burns (64.4%) occurred at home, primarily due to accidents (99.6%), with boilingwater being the most common cause (39.2%). The most frequent burns were second-degree burns (91.8%),with an average injured body area of 6.31±6.67%. There were significant correlations between burn severityand demographic factors such as age, sex, occupation, cause of burn, hospital admission, outcome, and lengthof stay. Remarkably, the extent of burns was negatively correlated with the distance to the hospital, whilepositively correlated with the length of hospital stay.Conclusion: Burn injuries were significantly influenced by demographic factors. Enhancing treatment facilitiesand reducing the time and distance to medical care could be crucial in high-risk cases.

Keywords

• demographic variables
• burn
• emergency