Self-inflicted burns among Saudi Arabian soldiers

Abstract

Background : Self-inflicted burns (SIB) are the most common and frequently occurring medical challenge to Plastic Surgery and Burn Units worldwide. Only a few reports of SIB among soldiers have been published; they may be committed as a coping mechanism to stress, psychiatric illness, or with a malingering/ulterior motive. The aim of this retrospectives study is to determine the cause and characteristic of the SIBs among soldiers treated at Burn Unit of Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) during 2008-2014. Materials and Methods: A retrospective assessment was performed on 82 soldiers treated at Burn Unit of PSMMC for self-inflicted burn injuries. The data collected include age, cause of injuries, side of the body affected, affected organs, month and day of burn injury. Results : The majority of SIB was observed among young soldiers age range 20-35 years. The chemical burn was the most common cause of burn injuries. The SIBs mostly occurred between June and September months with a higher frequency of cases occurring in early weekdays. Most of the burns occurred in the feet and hands, left side of body suffered more burns compared to right side of the body. Conclusion : It may be concluded that chemically induced burns were the most frequent cause of SIB in this study. High frequency of SIB occurred in summer months specifically on Sundays and Mondays. Feet, hands, and legs are the most affected organs. The reason of inflicting self-injury is far from clear it may be either to cope up with stress or with an ulterior motive. Further investigation using the larger sample is suggested.