When it comes to burns, we are not all equal: toddlers burn more, but seniors die more. And these two age groups are particularly exposed.
Little boy, burnt on the head and neck: this is the typical portrait of the patient hospitalized for burns in 2011. The Institut de Veille Sanitaire (InVS) delivers this May 6 an edifying study on admissions to hospital for burns in France and their evolution. On average, 9,000 people go to the emergency room after being burned.
A peak in mortality among seniors
In one in three cases, the hospitalized burn victim is a child aged 0 to 4 years. It is by far the most affected population. While the average is 13 hospitalizations per 10,000 inhabitants, it climbs to 30 events in this age group. A peak that can be explained by the beginnings of walking and the first accidents of children who are unaware of the risks.
The second age group that burns the most is also the most fragile: those over 50 represent a quarter of hospitalizations… and half of burn deaths concern patients over 65 years of age. Moreover, the average age of major burns is changing: between 2008 and 2011, it went from 61 to 64, and the prevalence of burns has increased among those over 85.
Shorter stays with children
The youngest burn themselves more, but they also spend less time in the hospital. They stay on average 4 days in the hospital, against a general average of one week… but they also return more often to the emergency room for the same accident. Those under 15 represent three quarters of the rehospitalized population. Those over 65, for their part, spend twice as long after a serious burn but rarely return.
Even by studying the peaks of burns during the year, these two age groups stand out. The general population is injured more when the good weather returns, thanks to sunbathing and barbecues. Children and seniors are injured more between November and March. At the top of the burnt parts of the body: head and neck, wrist and hand, trunk.
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