Pediatric Burns Among Refugee Communities in Lebanon: Evidence to Inform Policies and Programs

Abstract

Burn-related injury is a global public health problem with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. The adverse effect of burn leads to substantial functional, psychological, and economic repercussions. Low- and middle-income countries, including Lebanon, carry a disproportionately greater burden of burn injuries. This study adopted a mixed method approach to explore burn-related injuries in a sample (n = 347) of refugee children settling in Lebanon. We reviewed 179 cases of patients records that met the criteria of a child aged 0 to 19 years and has sustained a burn due to living conditions. War-related burn injuries were excluded. The findings demonstrate that there is a significantly higher proportion of 0- to 4-year-olds with burn injuries (53.6%) compared with the older age groups. Scald burns, caused by boiling liquid, were the most common cause of burns (58.6%), followed by fire/open flame (12.8%) and heat contact (6.7%). Upper trunk and arm burns were significantly higher than other body parts (35.2%), females were among the potential at-risk group with due to boiling liquids caused by food preparation and serving. Fifteen to nineteen years showed a high proportion of fire/flame burn caused by labor accident. Qualitative analysis of case reports further confirmed our findings and emphasized the impact of low socioeconomic status, overcrowded living conditions and open floor cooking and heating on increasing risk of pediatric burns. Additional research is needed to increase understanding on risk factors pertaining to pediatric burns in the refugee community with a view to integrating appropriate preventive measures and informing evidence-based policies and programs.

Yanık Ünitesinde Takip Edilen Pediatrik Yaş Grubu Olguların Klinik Değerlendirmesi

“…Yiyeceklerle ilgili olmayan termal yanıklar; havai fişeklerden, ütülerden, kamp ateşlerinden kaynaklanabilir. Kimyasal yakınlara ise birçok genel temizlik ürünü sebep olabileceği gibi asitli veya alkali çeşitli ürünlerle topikal veya mukozal temas sonucu oluşur (2,11,12). Elektrik yanığı daha çok erişkin dönemde görülmekle birlikte pediatrik yaş grubunda da maruziyetler olabilmektedir.…”

A plastic and reconstructive surgery landscape assessment of Malawi: a scoping review of Malawian literature

“…Because burns account for much of the PRS disease burden in Malawi, the study of burnrelated injuries is pertinent to identifying challenges with burn prevention, treatment, and reconstruction that can be addressed to reduce morbidity and mortality within the country [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. The high incidence of burn-related injuries is due to multifactorial processes related to sociodemographic factors, housing regulations, preexisting conditions, patient age, and health system infrastructure and capacity [51][52][53][54]. The use of open flames for cooking and heating, high density housing situations often with multi-generational occupancy, and lack of residential and industrial construction regulations are all risk factors that contribute to the high incidence of burn injury within Malawi, especially in pediatric and epileptic patients.…”

Pediatrik yanıklar ve yanık yaralanmalarının önde gelen etkenleri

“…Burns are the fifth most common cause of non-fatal childhood injuries worldwide (1). Children under the age of 5 constitute 1/3 of burn cases (2) Burns mostly affect the citizens of middle and low-income countries (2,3) On the other hand, it is reported that children account for almost half of all burn cases in hospitals of developed European countries (4). It is estimated that there are 100,000 child burns annually in the United States (5).…”