Epidemiology of burn injuries in South-Eastern Iran: A retrospective study

Objective: to explore the epidemiology of burn injuries in zahedan, southeastern iran. methods: a retrospective review of 730 medical records, of burnt patients, for a period of two years was done. pre-designed data recording forms were used to collect data. the spss-15 was used to analyze data. results: overall, 713 medical records were analyzed: two-thirds (62.0%) were fire-related and one-third related to scalds (33.1%). intentional self-harm injuries accounted for 14.3% of all admissions. a significant difference existed between patients' age or sex and the causes of burns (p<0.001). burns more than 60% closely correlated with death rate and hospital stay (p<0.001). conclusion: lack of the necessary, socio-economic infrastructure, language and cultural barriers, low level of literacy, flammability of women's clothes and unsafe application/design of stove and heaters are likely to contribute to the high frequency of burn injuries in this area.