Effect of burns on the functional impairments and quality of life in adult patients

Burns commonly known asan injury to the skin caused by numerous agents such as heat, chemicals,electricity, and radiation is a debilitating concern. According to World Health Organization’s fact sheetof 2018 the global estimation of deaths due to burn injury is 1,80,000 peryear. In India, 7 million people are the victim of burn injuries with over10,00,000 people are casualty of moderate or severe burn injury every year1and 2.4 lakh people suffering from a disability2 and burns is one ofthe leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).1, 3 Theincidence of burns in India hikes in Diwali festival with more than 23,000fire-related deaths were estimated in India in the year 2019, which accountsfor 20% of the global mortality burden. Also, 1.5 million DALYs were attributedto burns3. Burn patients do not exhibit homogeneity, the functionaloutcome is dependent on various factors such as age, mechanism of injury, totalbody surface area, depth as well as the site of the burn. Burns not onlyinfluences a person’s physical, psychological, and social functioning but alsoit often results in significant morbidity, impairment in emotional well-being,and negative effects on the appearance in turn affecting their ability toreturn to work.

 Brief summary- It is importantto understand the repercussions of burns beyond their quantification in termsof total body surface area and its depth because there are many confoundingfactors such as age, gender and personal factors could be varied and may affectthe patient’s condition.  Hence, there isa need to see an association between the quantification of burns withfunctional impairments and quality of life.