Epidemiology of Acid-Burns in a Major Referral Hospital in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: Most of the acid- burns are due to assault or accidental. The epidemiology of burns is diverse across the world and within a country. We evaluated the epidemiology and outcome of acid-burns in tertiary health care center in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: This study was retrospective descriptive among patients referred for acid-burn injury that was done in a referral Burn Care Center in Tehran, Iran, during a ten-year period since 2005 to 2014. Patient’s data collected by a specially designed check list. The subjects included 37 consecutive patients with various causes of acid burn injury. Descriptive statistics (means with standard deviations or frequency distribution) of sociodemographic variables were computed. RESULTS: The patients’ mean age was 31.97±11.02 years. The mean hospitalization period was 18.08±15.25 days. The grade of burn was III in 75.7% patients. Among the acid-burn patients, 64.8% suffered from <20% of total body surface area burn. Most affected part of the body was Head /face/neck 17 (45.9%). Most of the acid-burn occurred from attack (67.6%). Burns mortality rate for this study was identified 8.1% (N=3). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed high acid attacks rates. Prevention strategies must be coordinated at national level. So acid-burn patients have to receive the best medical care possible, first locally and then in a specialized center.