Background: In this modern era of science-based medicine, some people still accept folk remedies as an alternative form of medicine. However, misinformation and misuse of folk medicines can result in dangerous complications. Among the possible complications of folk remedy use, this study focused on the clinical characteristics of burns caused by folk remedies.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of patients who had been treated for burns caused by folk remedies from May 2015 to April 2022. Data were collected on patients’ age and gender, type of folk remedy, reason for using the folk remedy, the severity of the burn, the number of wounds, lesion type, and type of treatment.
Results: We found 59 patients with burns due to folk remedies. Most were female (76.3%) and ≥ 60 years old (72.9%). The most common type of folk remedy was moxibustion (74.6%), followed by the use of glacial acetic acid (20.3%). The reasons for using folk remedies were arthralgia relief (39%), health improvement (18.6%), and treatment of tinea pedis (11.9%). Most patients had multiple wound sites and had burns that were considered severe, requiring surgical treatment (72.9%). The majority of lesions were on the lower extremity, including the foot.
Conclusion: This study described the risk of burns caused by folk remedies and the clinical characteristics of the wounds. The results emphasize the need for greater public awareness of the risk of burn injuries when using folk remedies.
Keywords: burns; folk remedies; glacial acid; moxibustion
Background: As the use of handy warming devices such as hand warmers and electric heating pads has increased, the incidence of burns sustained from these devices has also increased. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of burn cases induced by local body warming devices. Methods: This retrospective study examined the records of 104 patients who had presented with burns sustained from warming devices between October 2015 and December 2017. The collected data was sorted according to type of warming device, gender, age, underlying diseases, affected body lesion, surgical operation rate, and treatment period. Results: The most commonly associated devices were hot packs (39.4%). The predominant affected body lesion was the lower extremity (60.6%). Patients were mainly female (67.3%), and in their twenties. These victims generally visited our institution late after onset of their burns (mean 16.98 days) and had a high operation rate (86.5%).
Conclusion:We recommend that the public should be better informed about the danger of sustaining burns while using handy body warming devices as a preventive strategy.
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