title: Burn injuries in Zaria: a one year prospective study.
abstract: Fifty three patients admitted for burn care during a 12 month period from September 1987 to August 1988 were prospectively studied. There were 36 males (60%) and 21 females (40%) with ages ranging from 3 months to 60 years. Children aged 0-4 constituted 40% but 32 (60%) were younger than 16 years. Flame burns affected 26 (49%) patients, scalds in 22 (12%), electrical burns affected four patients and chemical burn was in one. Scald was the commonest injury among children aged 0-4 (70%). Flame, affected 33% of those aged 16 and above. Clothing fire was the commonest flame injury and it was a cause of very extensive injury (mean % BSA 45). Kerosene burn, gas and clothing burns caused the most extensive injury with a mean % BSA 46, 41 and 45 respectively. The commonest complication was burn wound sepsis most frequently by a gram-negative bacilli (65.63%) of which Pseudomonas aeruginosa were that commonest organisms. Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus were about same frequency. Duration of hospital stay ranged from 6 days to 300 days with a mean of 46.52 days. 8 patients absconded, two were transferred to a hospital near their home and 9 died, giving a mortality rate of 17%. Since burn injuries are largely preventable, it is important to define clearly the social, cultural and economic factors which contribute to burn causation in order to combat them effectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kalayi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D015984:Causality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology