Gender differences in burns: A study from emergency centres in the Western Cape, South Africa.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about gender differences in aetiology and management of acute burns in resource-constrained settings in South Africa.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study is based on burn case reports (n=1915) from eight emergency centres in Western Cape, South Africa (June 2012-May 2013). Male/female rate ratios by age group and age-specific incidence rates were compiled for urban and rural areas along with gender differences in proportions between children and adults for injury aetiology, burn severity, length of stay and patient disposition.


RESULTS
Children 0-4 years in urban areas had the highest burn incidence but only among adults did male rates surpass females, with fire burns more common among men 20-39 years and hot liquid burns among men 55+ years. Men had a higher proportion of burns during weekends, from interpersonal violence and suspected use of alcohol/other substances, with more pronounced differences for hot liquid burns. Despite similar Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores, men were more often transferred to higher levels of care and women more often treated and discharged.


CONCLUSIONS
Burns were far more common among children although gender differences arose only among adults. Men sustained more injuries of somewhat different aetiology and were referred to higher levels of care more often for comparable wound severity. The results suggest different disposition between men and women despite similar AIS scores. However, further studies with more comprehensive information on severity level and other care- and patient-related factors are needed to explore these results further.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: lisa.blom@ki.se.
Lisa
L
Blom
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anders
A
Klingberg
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Lucie
L
Laflamme
Division of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Bellville, South Africa.
Lee
L
Wallis
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Marie
M
Hasselberg
D015998:Abbreviated Injury Scale; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
Emergency centres; Gender differences; Hot liquid burns; Interpersonal violence; Patient disposition; Sub-Saharan Africa