Epidemiology of Childhood Burn: A 5-Year Retrospective Study in the Referral Burn Center of Northern Iran

Burns are the second most common etiology of injury death in children under 5 years old and are the most common cause of death in a home accident.

This study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of childhood burn in children under 16 years old referred to Velayat Burn Center, Rasht City, Iran, from 2013 to 2018. Data were collected from electronic hospital records of burn patients aged under 16 years of age.

Out of 717 patients, 44.5% were girls, and 55.5% were boys (sex ratio=1.2). The highest frequency of burns (56.1%) was reported in the 1-5 years age group. The most common cause of burn was scalds (76%), and the most common burn severity was second-degree burns (46.7%). The Mean±SD duration of hospitalization was 3.07±4.15 days, and the hospital stay was significantly associated with the cause of the burn, Burned Body Surface Area (BBSA), and burn severity. The highest frequency was reported on Saturdays, i.e., (the first working day in Iran) (22.7%), between 6 and 12 o’clock (42.8%).

This study found that children in 1-5 years old were the most susceptible age group for burn injuries and scalds were the most common cause of the burn. The male to female ratio was 1.2, and the majority of burns occurred in the winter.