Epidemiology and outcomes of burn injury among older adults in a Ghanaian tertiary hospital

Abstract

Background: Though older adults are affected by burn injuries, there has been limited exploration of their characteristics in Ghana. Objective: To assess the epidemiology and outcomes of burn injury among older adults. Methodology: A retrospective approach was utilised. Admission and Discharge Books were used to retrieve records of burn patients aged 60 years and above from 2008 to 2015. SPSS version 21 was used to perform descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis. Results: Out of the 618 admissions, patients aged 60 years and above were 31 (5.0%). Burn injuries were commonest among the 60–69 year group (45.2%). A greater proportion of older adults in the study were farmers (38.7%). The year 2011 recorded the highest admission and death but mortality rates were equally high in all years represented in this study except in 2010. The mean age was 69.74 years. Though more females (67.7%) than males (32.3%) were involved in burn injuries, mortality was marginally higher in males than females. Thermal burns resulting from gas explosion (51.60%) and bush fires (22.60%) were major aetiological factors. Logistic regression analysis indicated that increasing age (p = .002) and increasing TBSA (p < .001) were associated with higher mortality rates. Conclusion: As the older adult population is expected to increase, there is the need to execute appropriate interventions such as safe farming practises and proper household utilisation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) products. Further studies are needed in understanding gender variations in burn survival among older adults. Keywords: Older adults, Burn injury, Epidemiology, Outcome