Post burn pruritus in pediatric burn patients

Abstract

Background: Pruritus is a common problem seen in the healing process of a burn wound and gives great discomfort for the patient. Most research in this field has been done in the adult population, so evidence in the pediatric population is still lacking PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to assess the incidence and severity of post-burn pruritus, identify predictors for pruritus and evaluate the pharmacological treatments in a pediatric setting.

Methods: Pruritus was assessed in this prospective observational study using a numeric rating scale and the Itch Man Scale applied by the patients' caregiver. The predictive values of candidate predictors for pruritus were compared using Fisher exact tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Results: 413 patients were included in this study. Pruritus was reported in 71.7% of the patients. Complete symptom relief was only achieved in 29.8% of the patients who used medication. Time since burn (p<0.001), depth of the injury (p=0.017), TBSA burned (p=0.001) and skin grafting (p=0.001) were found to be significant predictors for post-burn pruritus.

Conclusion: Post-burn pruritus is still a highly prevalent problem in pediatric burn care. Its intensity and frequency are higher especially in the first three months or with a deeper wound or a higher TBSA.

Keywords: Burns; Itching; Pediatrics; Predictors; Pruritus.