The Epidemiology of Chemical Burns Among the Patients Referred to Burn Centers in Shiraz, Southern Iran, 2008–2018

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of chemical burns among the patients admitted to Shiraz burn treatment centers. METHODS: It is a descriptive study that was conducted on 62 patients with chemical burns who were admitted between 2008 and 2018. The patients’ records were used in the research using the census sampling process. A questionnaire with questions about age, sex, the extent of the burn, the cause of the burn, duration of hospital stay, level of education, incident location, and clinical outcome was used to collect data (survival-death). The data was analyzed by using descriptive statistical methods. RESULTS: The prevalence of chemical burns was 1% during 2008-2018. Acid and alkali burns were accounted for 93.5% and 6.5% of burns, respectively. 77.4% of patients were male, and 22.6% were female. The mean age of patients was 27 years. The average burn percentage was 16%. 70.6% of patients were illiterate or had primary education. Burns occurred at the workplace and home in 12.9% and 66.1% of cases, respectively. Moreover, Burns occurred due to accident (61%), acid attack (29%), and self-immolation (10%). The average length of hospital stay was 20 days. One patient (1.6%) died from burns. CONCLUSION: The study’s findings revealed that chemical burns were more common in men than women, and the majority of chemical burns occurred at home. To minimize the occurrence of chemical burns and acid attacks, teaching methods of preventing burns is important at home and work, as well as restricting non-specialists’ access to chemicals.