Burns in Sweden: temporal trends from 1987 to 2010

Our aim was to investigate the epidemiology of burned patients admitted to hospitals in Sweden, and to examine temporal trends during the last three decades. Our hypothesis was that there has been an appreciable decline in the number of patients admitted. Retrospective data about burned patients treated at Swedish hospitals 1987 - 2010 were obtained from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Patients with primary or secondary ICD diagnoses of burns were included, reviewed and statistically interpreted in terms of sex, age, incidence, mortality in hospital and duration of stay. A total of 30,478 patients were admitted to hospitals with burns. The absolute number of admissions declined by 42% (95% CI 39 to 44). There was a highly significant reduction of 45% (95% CI: 38 to 51) in the ageadjusted incidence (admissions/million population) over the years, and the reduction was significant for both sexes. Children aged 0-4 years (n=8308) were most likely to be admitted to hospital (27%). The median duration of stay shortened over time (p < 0.0001). There was an overall significant reduction in deaths at hospital/100 admissions over time (p <0.0001). We think that the improvements are the result of a combination of preventive measures, improved treatments and greater use of outpatient facilities. If we understand these trends and the relations between age-adjusted incidence and actual number of admissions, we can gain insight into what is needed for future provision of emergency health care.