title: Terror-inflicted thermal injury: A retrospective analysis of burns in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between the years 1997 and 2003.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Terror attacks have changed in the past decade, with a growing tendency toward explosives and suicide bombings, which led to a rise in the incidence of thermal injuries among victims. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict of October 2000 marked a turning point when an organized terror campaign commenced. This article presents data of terror-associated burns from the Israeli National Trauma Registry (ITR) during the years 1997 to September 2000 and October 2000 to 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed demographic and clinical characteristics of 219 terror-related burn patients and 6,546 other burn patients admitted to hospitals in Israel between 1997 and 2003. Data were obtained from the ITR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Burns contributed about 9% of all terror related trauma and about 5% of all other trauma (p < 0.0001). These percentages have not changed significantly before and after October 2000. Terror-related burns afflict Jewish males more than predicted by their percentage in the population, whereas other burns afflict non-Jewish males more than predicted. Adults and young adults (15-59 years) are the predominant group in terror-related burns (80%), whereas children younger than 15 years are the predominant group in other burns (50%). Large burns (20% to 89% total body surface area) are more common in terror casualties, with greater mortality (6.4% in terror-related versus 3.4% in others; p = 0.0258).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the incidence of burns has risen because of an organized campaign, this change was noticeable in other trauma forms as well in similar proportions. Terror-related burns afflict a targeted population, and generally take on a more severe course with greater mortality rates, thus requiring appropriate medical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Burn Unit, Department of Plastic Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Israel.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haik
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tessone
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Givon
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liran
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Oren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Goldan
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bar-Meir
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Regev
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orenstein
authors.forename: Kobi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peleg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D023481:Terrorism; D014857:Warfare