Nutrition impact symptoms 6-12 months post-burn injury - A single-cohort longitudinal study

This study aimed to investigate long-term prevalence of nutrition impact symptoms, such as appetite and eating-related issues that may impede food intake, in patients with minor and major burn injuries.

In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, 60 adults participated. Two questionnaires, the Disease-Related Appetite Questionnaire (DRAQ-burn) and the Eating Symptom Questionnaire (ESQ-burn), were completed during follow-up visits at 6 and 12 months post trauma.

Median burn extent was 4.5% in the minor burn group and 24.0% in the major burn group. At six months, the median number of symptoms reported in DRAQ-burn was 2.0 for all patients; at 12 months, it was 1.0 for minor burns and 1.5 for major burns. Reported symptoms in the ESQ-burn remained stable at a median of 1.0 across both time points and burn severities. Most frequently reported symptoms included fluctuation in appetite/eating, never/rarely feeling hungry, tiredness affecting appetite/eating, and nausea. No statistically significant differences were found between burn severity groups or over time.

Overall, although the nutrition impact symptoms were reported to be more mild than severe in nature, they persisted for up to a year post burn, highlighting the need for ongoing nutritional follow-up to mitigate the risk of malnutrition.