Burns risk for people with epilepsy
2 May 2003
People with epilepsy are at high risk of burns in the home, an Australian study shows.
Dr Tim Radvan, burns registrar at Sydney's Concord Burns Unit, said that in a series of 1743 consecutive admissions to the unit over 17 years, 44 (2.5 per cent) were due to a generalised seizure.
'The rate of epilepsy in the community is estimated at between 0.4 and 0.8 per cent so we have found people with epilepsy are over-represented in our [adult] burns population,' he said.
Most of the patients with epilepsy suffered serious burns with more than 70 per cent needing operative grafting.
There were 3 deaths.
The average total body surface area injured in these people with epilepsy was 18 per cent.
The most common injuries were from scalding, contact with hot surfaces including stoves and irons, and flame burns.
Dr Radvan said injuries sustained in the bathroom accounted for nearly half of all burns suffered by people with epilepsy and were also the most serious, with an average 25 per cent of total body area being burned and 76 per cent of people needing grafts.
'The fact is that hot water in most people's houses is far higher than it needs to be, often 60 or 70 degrees. The bathroom can be regulated separately from the kitchen which means that even if someone has a fit and falls into the tub when the hot water is running they won't be burned.'
The risk of burns to people with epilepsy has previously been identified in overseas research.
'It's well known among burns surgeons but until now there's been no formal documentation in Australia,' Dr Radvan said.
'We now believe that burns should be considered a threat to people with epilepsy in the same manner that driving, working at heights and working with power tools are considered a threat.'
[It is with sadness that myDr informs its readers that Dr Tim Radvan, the author of the study referred to in this news item, died suddenly on 31 May 2003.]
Last Reviewed: 21 July 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 2/5/03
