A systematic review of burn injuries in low- and middle-income countries: Epidemiology in the WHO-defined African Region

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burns result in the loss of approxi- mately 18 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and more than 250,000 deaths each year, more than 90% of which are in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The epidemiology of these injuries, especially in the WHO-defined African Region, has yet to be adequately defined. Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature regarding the epidemiology of thermal, chemical, and electrical burns in the WHO-defined African Region. All articles indexed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Global Health, and the Cochrane Library databases as of October 2015 were included. Results: The search resulted in 12,568 potential abstracts. Through multiple rounds of screening using criteria determined a priori, 81 manuscripts with hospital-based epidemiology as well as eleven manu- scripts that included population-based epidemiology were identified. Although the studies varied in methodology, several trends were noted: young children appear to be at most risk; most individuals were burned at home; and hot liquids and flame are the most common aetiologies. Discussion: While more population-based research is essential to identifying specific risk factors for tar- geted prevention strategies, our review identifies consistent trends for initial efforts at eliminating these often devastating and avoidable injuries