Epidemiological Study of 1938 Burn Patients from 2014-2016 in Qazvin, Iran

Background: Many people suffer from burn injuries annually. Epidemiologic studies are necessary to reveal the prevalence and related factors of burns to assist in designing an appropriate plan to reduce its mortality and morbidity. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the epidemiology and etiological factors of 1938 burn patients admitted to a burn unit in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: This was a retrospective study of medical records of patients admitted to the burn unit of Shahid Rajaee Hospital from March 21, 2014 to March 20, 2016. The collected data included age, gender, percentage of burns, etiology, date of admission, date of discharge, and total burn surface area (TBSA). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the basic features of the studied variables. Results: The mean age of the 1938 burn patients was 29.08±20.52 years. The results showed that more males (n=1391, 71.8%) than females (n=547, 28.2%) were involved in burn injuries. Fire flame (n=1019, 52.6%) and scald (n=529, 27.3%) were major etiological factors of burns. Adult males (n=458, 23.6%), and preschool boys (n= 407, 21.0%) were at the highest risk for burn through the study period. The mean total body surface area (TBSA) was 13.34 (SD ±12.40) ranging from 1% to 9%, and burns of less than 20% TBSA represent the large majority of burns (n=1653, 85.3%). Conclusion: This study indicates that the majority of burn injuries were of the fire flame and scald types. Preventive programs targeting the population under higher risk of burns are needed to reduce the burden of burns.