Epidemiological Profile of Burns in the Elderly in Lagos, Nigeria: A Preliminary Study

The elderly population is on the increase globally according to the current global demographic changes and is more vulnerable to burn injuries. Despite recent advances in burn care, the outcome of burns in the elderly has only marginally improved when compared with children and younger adults. The objective of this study was to determine the patterns and outcomes of burns in the elderly and eventually proffer prevention strategies. A retrospective review of all the elderly (65 years and older) burn patients managed at the Burn Centre of National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi Lagos (NOHIL) between January 2015 and December 2019 was performed. The socio-demographic data, clinical information surrounding the burn injury and management were extracted from the medical records, analyzed and presented. A total of 21 patients were included in this study, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.1. Flame burns represented the commonest cause of burns (85.7%) and the majority had pre-injury comorbidities (57.1%). All the patients with %TBSA of less than 40% were successfully managed and discharged while death occurred in all the patients with %TBSA of 40% and above, with a mortality rate of 11.1%. This study provided an epidemiological profile of elderly burn patients in Nigeria. One in five burn admissions is elderly, with flame burns being the major cause of burns. Most of the burns occurred indoors and were related to cooking activities. Prevention strategies were recommended to improve home safety and make the home a safer place for the elderly.