Socioeconomic factors affecting presentation of patients with post burn contractures of the hand in an Indian population– a review of 196 cases

Abstract

Background: As the etiological factors of burn injuries vary considerably in different communities, careful analysis of the epidemiological features in every community is needed to formulate a sound prevention programme. The present study attempts to analyze the demographic factors affecting the presentation of post burn contractures of hand in a developing country.
Material and Methods: The study was conducted prospectively and retrospectively between 2004 and 2009. The patients were analyzed for their demographic profile. The patients and their family were asked to state the reason for seeking treatment and the patient’s narrative was recorded in his or her own language.
Result: The age of presentation ranged from three to 65 years. Agricultural workers were the most common affected group of population (32%) followed by students (16%). Sixty four percent of all cases had injury due to flame burns. Electric burns were the second most common group (12%). Job related disability was the most common reason for seeking treatment amongst males (59%). Females most commonly sought treatment because of the inability of the family to find a suitable matrimonial alliance (57%). Forty four of the 102 males had a delay of less than six months in seeking treatment. Overall, 75 of 102 males sought treatment in the first year while only 13 of the 94 females reported for treatment within the first six months.
Conclusion: We suggest that preventive community programmes for burn contractures of the hand should be based on sound epidemiological studies and should take into account the socioeconomic requirements of the given society.

Key words: Burn contractures, Socio-economic factors, Felt need.