Comparable results of epidemiology of children with burns among different decades in a burn unit in JinZhou, China.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiological results of children with burns among different decades from 1970 to 2008. METHODS The clinical data of all children with burns younger than 14 years admitted between 1970 and 2008 were compared among different decades using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). RESULTS Of all patients with burns, children accounted for 28.6%, despite differences in different decades (18.7-31%). In all children with burns, greater than 80% were accounted by children with mild and moderate burns, and by scalds, in which greater than 80% was caused by hot water. The proportion of scald gradually increased from 60% in the 1970s to 88% in 21st century. The increase in the number in the infant group was the direct cause for the decline of the average age of children injured over time. The case fatality rate in all children with burns was 0.7%, despite significant differences in different decades. CONCLUSION Current prevention strategies should be aimed at the 'susceptible group', namely infants, scald injuries and hot water scald, in particular, according to the epidemiologic characteristics of this study. Prevention methods from government, mass media and schools to the family is a tremendous need for the further development of prevention of paediatric burns in the future.