[Analysis on the causes of burn among 17,339 patients].
To find out the common causes of burn and to develop preventive measures to prevent or reduce the injury of burn. Descriptive analysis was used to review the burn-cases in our Burn Department from 1970 to 1998 and to summarize the epidemic features and common causes of the injuries. From 1970 to 1998, a total number of 17 339 inpatients were seen in our Burn Department. According to the causes of injury, burn patients were categorized as heat-injured, electric-injured, chemical-injured, etc. Most patients were injured with heat, taking up 89.11% of the total patients (P < 0.01). Most of the heat-injured patients were scalded with hot water (49.31%, P < 0.01). Children being burnt, accounted for 32.82% of the total patients (P < 0.01), whom should not be ignored. Burn happens frequently in daily life, so the preventive methods should be taken seriously.