Post-traumatic stress disorder in burned patients

The essential feature of post-traumatic stress disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to a traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an event that involves threat of death oactual r serious injury, or other threat to one's physical integrity; or witnessing an event that involves death, injury, or a threat to physical integrity of another person; or learning about unexpected or violent death, serious harm, or threat of death or injury experienced by a family member or other close associate (DSM IV). The aim of this work is to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the burned victims and its predicting factors.

Patients were recruited at the Burns Department in the Ibn Rushd University Hospital during the period between 1 October 1998 and 1 October 1999. All patients were psychiatrically interviewed and answered a questionnaire. The diagnosis of PTSD was done according to DSM IV criteria. Results were analyzed on Epi info software.

Sixty patients gave their consent to participate in this study. The 23.3% met criteria for PTSD and 55% for major depressive disorder. In short, PTSD was related to age, explosion of gas containers for cooking purposes, depression and low social functioning. Otherwise, no relationship was found between PTSD and gender, length of hospitalization or severity of burn.

Post-traumatic stress disorder remains a poorly known entity by clinicians and under-diagnosed in burned patients. Considering the frequency of this pathology, an anti-depressant treatment and a psychotherapeutic relationship are necessary to improve the health and the quality of life of these patients.