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Background It is globally reported that young children are at a higher risk of burns but little is known about the individual risk factors. This study was undertaken in 2008 to investigate factors associated with burn injuries in children aged 0-5 years. Methods This was a case-control study with cases recruited prospectively from children attending hospital for a new burn injury and controls recruited from children admitted for other conditions. Results A total of 248 cases and 248 controls were recruited. Cases included scalds (79%), contact burns (17%) and flame injuries (4%). Burns were most commonly caused by tea utensils (42%) and kerosene stoves (36%). Multivariable analyses found that a poor living standard (OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.6 to 11.7), having a child with a higher activity score (OR 5.3, 95% CI 3.4 to 8.5), having a history of burns in other family members (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.5 to 5.2) and a higher number of home hazards (OR for a one unit increase in hazards score 1.32, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.70) were all associated with a significant increase in the odds of a burn injury. The presence of a second carer (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.7) and having disability (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.6) were protective factors. Conclusions This information about risk factors for burn injuries can be used to target preventive interventions towards families at the greatest risk of injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While it is globally observed that young children are at a higher risk of burn injuries, little is known about childhood burns in Iraqi Kurdistan. This study was undertaken to describe the epidemiology of burns amongst pre-school children in this region., Methods: A prospective study was undertaken from November 2007 to November 2008 involving all children aged 0-5 years attending the burns centre in Sulaimaniyah province for a new burn injury whether treated as an outpatient or admitted to hospital., Results: 1,122 children attended the burns centre of whom 944 (84%) were interviewed (male 53%, female 47%). Mean age was 1.9 years with children aged 1 year comprising 32% and those aged 2 years comprising 21% of the sample. The incidence of burns was 1044/100,000 person-years (1030 in females and 1057 in males). Mechanisms of injury included scalds (80%), contact burns (12%) flames (6%) and other mechanisms (2%). Almost 97% of burns occurred at home including 43% in the kitchen. Winter was the commonest season (36%) followed by autumn (24%). There were 3 peak times of injury during the day corresponding to meal times. The majority of burns were caused by hot water (44%) and tea (20%) and the most common equipment/products responsible were tea utensils (41%). There were 237 admissions with an admission rate of 95 per 100,000 person-years. Scald injuries accounted for most admissions (84%). Median total body surface area affected by the burn or scald (TBSA) was 11% and median hospital stay was 7 days. In-hospital mortality was 8%. Mortality rate was 4% when TBSA was ≤25%, and 100% when TBSA was over 50%., Conclusion: Burn incidence is high in young children especially those aged 1-2 years. Preventive interventions targeted at families with young children & focusing on home safety measures could be effective in reducing childhood burns., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

This retrospective study was undertaken to describe the epidemiology of burns in the province of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan and investigate factors associated with mortality. Hospital records of all patients admitted to the Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre of Sulaymaniyah for a burn incident during the calendar year of 2006 were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 947 acute burn patients were admitted over the year (females 53.5%, males 46.5%) of whom 41% were aged 0 to 14 years. Flame injuries were responsible for 59% and scalds for 37% of injuries. The median TBSA burnt was 19%, the median length of hospital stay was 5 days, and in-hospital mortality rate was 28%. Multivariable logistic regression showed that burn size, inhalation injury, older age, and female sex were significant risk factors for death. The adjusted odds ratios were 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-20.0) for those aged 60 years or older compared with children aged 0 to 5 years; 2.2 (95% CI 1.2-4.1) for females compared with males; 9.8 (95% CI 4.8-20.0) for presence of inhalation injury; and 112.8 (95% CI 57.4-221.4) for ≥ 40% TBSA burnt compared with < 40% TBSA burnt. Burn injuries are an important public health problem in Iraq, and further studies are required to investigate circumstances surrounding burns and risk factors to inform planning of prevention programs.