ABSTRACT
The incidence of burn injury varies greatly between cultures. In the United Kingdom (with its population of 65 million), each year around 175000 people visit accident and emergency (A and E) departments suffering from burns, of whom about 13 000 need to be admitted. About 1000 have severe burns requiring fluid resuscitation, and half of the victims are under 16 years of age. The majority of burns in children are scalds caused by accidents with kettles, pans, hot drinks and bath water. Among adolescent patients, the burns are usually caused by young males experimenting with matches and flammable liquids. In adults, scalds are not uncommon, but are less frequent than flame burns. Most electrical and chemical injuries occur in adults. Cold and radiation are very rare causes of burns. Associated conditions in adults, such as mental disease (attempted suicide or assault), epilepsy and alcohol or drug abuse, are underlying factors in as many as 80% of patients with burns admitted to hospital in some populations.
