Fires and burns result annually in almost 4,000 deaths and more than 745,000 non-hospitalized injuries among all age groups, says a new study published in the November issue of the Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation.
The approach of the holidays and winter heating season brings with it an increase in burn-related injuries for children, experts say. It is a time when people use their fireplaces and light holiday candles.
It also a time when children are particularly at risk for burns.
"Burns are a major source of pediatric death and disability and are associated with significant national health care resource utilization," said study senior author Dr. Gary Smith, who is director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
"Burns often require long periods of rehabilitation, multiple skin grafts and extensive physical therapy," Smith said. "Not only can burn-related injuries leave patients with lifelong physical and psychological disabilities, they often also result in significant burdens for the patients' families and caregivers."
The study found that children age 2 or younger were more likely to be hospitalized for burns to their hands or wrists, and from contact with hot liquids or objects. Children 3 to 17 were more likely to be burned by fire.
Children 2 and younger made up half of the children hospitalized for burns. Almost two-thirds of hospitalized children were boys. The average length of hospital stay for all children was seven days with an average inpatient hospital charge of $21,800, the study found.
"Findings from our study underscore the importance of promoting known strategies that are effective in preventing burns among children," said Smith. "Examples include the installation and maintenance of residential smoke alarms, residential sprinkler systems, developing, and practicing an escape plan in case of a fire, anti-scald devices on faucets, limiting water heater temperature, and child-resistant cigarette lighters."
The Johns Hopkins Burn Center in Baltimore provides these tips to help protect children from burns during the holiday and heating seasons:
- Store matches and lighters away from children's reach in a locked cabinet.
- Keep young children away from cooking stoves, heating devices, holiday trees and all fireplaces, even gas ones.
- Have a professional inspect chimneys, fireplaces, central furnaces, and wood, pellet, and coal stoves every year.
- Make sure to get a fresh holiday tree with the needles firmly attached; older, dry needles that flake off easily are highly flammable.
- Keep decorations and flammable materials at least 3 feet away from the fireplace or other heat sources, such as space-heaters or light bulbs.
- Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace.
- Keep in mind that toddlers are at high risk for deep hand burns because they don't have the strength to pull back if they fall and touch the fireplace screen.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in the house.
A recent French study on the eating habits of people 65 and older adds to the growing evidence that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fresh fruits and vegetables can considerably lower your risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers at INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux, France, have been studying the Mediterranean diet in an attempt to find out why people who eat a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.
What they found was a diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, whereas consuming omega-6 rich oils could increase chances of developing memory problems.
Researchers examined the diets of more than 8,000 men and women over the age of 65 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. Over four years of follow-up, 183 of the participants developed Alzheimer's disease and 98 developed another type of dementia.
Researchers found that study participants who regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils - such as canola oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil - reduced their risk of dementia by 60% compared to people who did not regularly consume such oils. People who ate fruits and vegetables daily also reduced their risk of dementia by 30% compared to those who did not.
The study found people who ate fish at least once a week had a 35% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and 40% lower risk of dementia, but only if they did not carry the gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's, called ApoE4.
"Given that most people do not carry the ApoE4 gene, these results could have considerable implications in terms of public health," said study author Pascale Barberger-Gateau of INSERM.
E-mail Ven Griva at ven.griva@copleynews.com or write to P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112.
