The persistent paradigm of pediatric burns in India: An epidemiological review

Abstract

Background: Injuries and deaths from burns are a serious, yet preventable health problem globally. This paper describes burns in a cohort of children admitted to the burn's ward of Victoria Hospital, BMCRI, Bengaluru, India. This 3 years study was of the consecutively admitted patients from August 2008 to July 2011. Information was collected using a protocol-specific data collection sheet. Descriptive statistics (percentages, medians, means, and standard deviations) were calculated, and data were compared between age groups (and other criteria as indicated in comments). Findings: During the study period, 900 children were admitted with 280 (31.1%) girls and 620 boys (68.9%). The peak age of occurrence was between 1 and 4 years (44.7%). The peak period of occurrence is between August and October (41.5%). The majority of children 411 (45.6%) suffered scald burns. Closely following is the group of accidental thermal burns involving 375 (41.7%) children and 96 (10.7%) children sustained electrical burns. There has been an alarming rise of suicidal thermal burns in the pediatric population. Conclusion: Toddlers are most at risk for sustaining severe burns when their environment is disorganized while adolescents act on impulse. Burns injuries can be prevented by improving the home environment and socioeconomic living conditions through the health, social welfare, and education and housing departments apart from reducing stress levels of older children. It is high time that we introspect into the social support system of the country with regard to its addressing the emotional needs of the adolescent group and stress management strategies that are available to these youngsters who are giving up on life so easily.