Incidence and prevalence of burn injuries in children under the age of 20 years

Objective: To estimate the incidence of burn injuries in 2011 and prevalence in population < 20 years old in three districts of Chile's Metropolitan Region. Patients and Method: A Prevalence census study of 4,968 households in the mentioned areas. Probability, representative, and two-stage cluster sampling, with sampling error < 5%, was applied. Complex sample modules were used to analyze data using SPSS 17.0. The census was conducted in the site, asking in each selected household those 18 and older, about household composition by gender and age to identify those < 20 years with burns that occurred sometime in their life or in 2011. Results: A bum incidence of 2.02% [95% CI: 1.63-2.61%] and a prevalence of 13.50% [95% CI: 11.8815.31%] were obtained. The highest incidence was reported in female patients (2.31%) [95% CI: 1.77- 2.99%]. In males < 5 years of age, the incidence was 2.76% [95% CI: 1.42-5.28%] and in females, it was 2.46% [95% CI: 1.37-4.36%]. The municipality of Lo Prado had the highest incidence (2.73%) [95% CI: 1.82-4.07%]; Pudahuel recorded the highest prevalence (14.01%) [95% CI: 11.87-16.46%]. Conclusion: In 20 years, the incidence of burns in patients < 15 years of age fell by 46.4%. On average in the communities studied, 1 in 7 children/adolescent has suffered burns between birth and the time of his 20th birthday.