Clinical Presentation and Outcomes of Burn Patients With Diabetes: A 5-Year Single-Center Experience

Abstract

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most important independent risk factor for poor outcomes in patients with burn injuries. In this study, we aimed to determine the demographics characteristics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of burn patients with preexisting diabetes mellitus seen over the previous 5 years at a single burn center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study that included all burn patients ≥18 years of age with a diagnosis of diabetes who were admitted to our unit over the previous 5 years (2018 to 2022). We collected demographics and relevant clinical data from medical records. Patients were evaluated by age subgroups and time interval between occurrence of injury and admission to a medical center. RESULTS: Our study included 52 patients, with male-to-female ratio of 0.86:1 and mean age of 62.7 ± 12.4 years (range, 33-85 y). Scalding was the most common cause of the burn injury. A total of 32.7% of the patients had burns affecting their hands, either as part of a more extensive burn or as an isolated injury. The median extent of burns was 1.0% total body surface area (range, 0.05%-10%). We found an association between age and burn etiology and age and burn site. A high number of patients with injuries in the lower extremity sought medical care after day 1 but before day 4 postinjury. Delayed admission was found to be an important factor causing an increase in complication frequency. CONCLUSIONS: There are many factors associated with age that affect the incidence and outcomes of burn injuries. Risk factors leading to burns are preventable, and the physical and psychological consequences of people who survive burn injuries can be life-threatening and often devastating. The best way to treat a burn is to prevent it from happening in the first place.