Epidemiologic aspects of children with burns hospitalized in the First Aid Clinic for Burns of Goiânia – Goiás

Abstract

Children are the most frequent victims of burns, and these are the second cause of accidental infant mortality. The objective of this work was to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of children between 0 and 14 years old, victims of burns, hospitalized in the First Aid Clinic for Burns of Goiânia – Goiás. For that, data from the database of the hospital and registries of the hospitalized children in the period of June 1^st, 2005 to June 1^st, 2007 were analyzed. The children were divided in two groups: Group I (0-4 years old) and Group II (5-14 years old). In both groups the male sex was predominant and the majority of attendances happened through accord between the hospital and the Single Healthcare System. The main accident place was at home. The most common causal agent in Group I were the overheated liquids and in Group II, the flames (p<0.001). Forty-two percent of the children had from 10 to 19% of the body surface burnt. It is suggested to include educative programs in the community, in the Basic Healthcare Units, in infant education schools and nursery schools, to help awareness of carers about how to prevent burns.