title: Epidemiology of burns in pediatric patients of Beijing City.
abstract: This study aimed to assess the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric burns in Beijing City.
  
  
  
  This was a retrospective study of pediatric patients (n = 400) admitted to four burn centers in Beijing City between June 2010 and May 2011. Burn severity was determined according to total body surface area (TBSA) percentage and degree. Patients were followed up for one year. Multivariate analyses were carried out to determine the factors (burn etiology, time and place of injury, living conditions, hospital type, first-aid treatment methods, and parent/guardian knowledge of burns, educational level, occupation) affecting burn properties (severity and pigmentation/scar).
  
  
  
  191/400 (47.8 %) patients were aged 2-3 years, and scalding was the leading etiology (355/400, 88.8 %). Burn incidence peaked in May (14.8 %), at 10:00-12:00 and 17:00-20:00. Most burn events occurred indoors (272/400, 68.0 %), especially in the kitchen (180/400, 45.0 %). Roughly half of them involved head and neck; 188 (47.0 %) patients had mild burns, 140 (35.0 %) moderate, 44 (11.0 %) extensive, and 28 (7.0 %) critical burns; 184 (46.0 %) patients were treated only with cold-water rinsing or compress; 120 (30.0 %) received no first aid. Only 32 (8.0 %) patients visited a specialized institution. 164 patients underwent surgery. Hospitalization lasted for 14.8 ± 8.1 days. Independent risk factors for burn severity were occurrence month, living conditions, occupation of the mother, and first aid. 288 (72.0 %) patients developed pigmentation and scar within a year while no independent risk factors was observed.
  
  
  
  Pediatric burns often occurred indoors, especially in the kitchen, and a substantial proportion receives no first aid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China.
authors.forename: Shujun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China.
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China. shenchuanan@126.com.
authors.forename: Chuanan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China.
authors.forename: Jiake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China.
authors.forename: Hongjuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China.
authors.forename: Yanlu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100048, China.
authors.forename: Congying
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000068476:Beijing / Q000453:epidemiology; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Accident prevention; Burn; Emergency medicine; Epidemiology; Pediatric; Wound and injury