Epidemiological characteristics and predictive factors of burns among Iranian elderlies (2008-2012): a retrospective study

Burn injury is one of the most common accidents that leads to mortality and disability. The elderly are more vulnerable to burns, compared to the youth; accordingly, a higher percentage of the elderly are at the risk of death due to burn injuries. Regarding this, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of burns and its subsequent mortality among the elderly. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on the burn patients aged ≥ 60 years who were admitted to the specialized burn centers of the Shahid Motahari and Shohadaye Yaft Abad hospitals in Tehran, Iran, during 2008-2012. Data collection was performed using a form covering both demographic and burn-related data, such as burn percentage, cause and time of burn incidence, burn site, underlying diseases, and time of discharge or death. The data were collected from the medical records of the patients. Results: According to the results, the incidence of burn injuries in the elderly men was two times higher than that in the elderly women. The total mortality rate was 21.9%, which was uniformly distributed across the two genders. The demographic variables affecting the mortality risk were older age (OR=1.1, 95% CI: 1.09-1.19) and no psychological burden or other diseases (OR=9.9, 95% CI: 3.9-24.0). Furthermore, the best therapeutic approach for burn injuries with the lowest mortality (3.2%) was grafting/flap/amputation, followed by fasciotomy/grafting (7.4%) (OR=2.0, 95% CI: 0.5-8.7). Conclusion: Several factors, such as surgery, no history of disease, age, and burn percentage were identified as the predictive factors of survival rate of the elderly with burn injuries. Therefore, it seems necessary to develop prevention strategies for burn injuries among the elderly population.