Burns in epilepsy patients: A retrospective epidemiological study
Bhagyashri Talele, Shardendu SharmaIntroduction:
Epidemiological studies are very crucial regarding the understanding of the cause of burn accidents so that adequate and necessary actions and preventive measures can be taken to prevent such accidents and thus decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with it. There are very limited studies conducted in India relating to burns in epileptic patients. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the burn injury experienced by patients with epilepsy attending a tertiary burns center.
Materials and Methods:
A retrospective study was conducted on all burns patients with epilepsy who had visited the burns casualty of Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. 62 patients were included in the study and their clinical data was obtained from the medical records. Conclusions were drawn focussing on formulating various preventive measures that can be taken to prevent burns in epilepsy patients.
Results and Conclusions:
During the study period of 28 months, 62 epileptic burns patients were treated. Majority of the patients belonged to the rural areas. 66.1 % epileptic patients sustained burns while they were near a heat source which could be a potential trigger. Not just the epileptic patient himself or herself but also the immediate family members and co workers of epileptic patients must be aware of such accidents and the preventive measures. Awareness must be created about need for treatment and compliance to the treatment for epilepsy.