Keeping pace with the media; Giant Hogweed burns - A case series and comprehensive review

Phytophotodermatitis is almost exclusively reported in the dermatological literature, but may progress to a chemical burn. There has been widespread media reporting during the summer of 2015 of burns caused by giant hogweed. However, there is a lack of awareness of this mechanism of injury amongst the burn multidisciplinary team, and there have been no published articles in the surgical literature regarding plant burns, other than sporadic case reports, for 20 years. We present a comprehensive review of plant burns and three cases from our adult and paediatric Burn Centres of burns caused by giant hogweed. Accurate diagnosis is straightforward with a detailed history and is important to prompt appropriate treatment, and prevent a misdiagnosis of non-accidental injury. This review and case series are timely to raise awareness of phytophotodermatitis and burns caused by plants to burns multidisciplinary teams. Prospective studies are warranted to assess the efficacy of topical treatments and surgical management.