It has been found that men have higher rates of fire-related death and injury than women do, and that African American and American Indian men have higher rates of fire-related death and injury than other ethnic and racial groups. The age group with the highest rate of death from smoke inhalation is people over 85, while the age group with the highest injury rate is people of ages 50–54. Some reports also show increased rates of death and injury in children, due to their lower physical and mental capabilities. In 2019, the overall U.S. national fire death rate was 10.7 people per million population and the injury rate was 50.6 people per million population. Smoke inhalation injury is the most common cause of death in fire victims. Fire victims with both burns to their body and smoke inhalation injury have increased mortality rate and length of hospital stay compared to those with burns alone. Signs and symptoms
Some of the signs and symptoms of smoke inhalation injury include recent fire exposure followed by cough, wheezing, stridor, confusion, difficulty breathing, low oxygen saturation, smoke debris (especially on face and/or in saliva), burns (especially of the face), singed facial or nose hairs, and/or hoarse voice. A careful history can be helpful in determining where the fire occurred and therefore, what chemical fumes could have been inhaled with accompanying systemic toxicities.Smoke inhalation injury can lead to respiratory complications ranging from minor to major.
Hypoproteinemia is a condition where there is an abnormally low level of protein in the blood. There are several causes that all result in edema once serum protein levels fall below a certain threshold. Causes
Nutritional hypoproteinemia is due to severe limitation of protein intake in the diet. An example of nutritional hypoproteinemia is Kwashiorkor, a type of protein energy malnutrition affecting young children. Malabsorption
Liver disease can also cause hypoproteinemia by decreasing synthesis of plasma proteins like albumin. Renal disease like nephrotic syndrome can also result in hypoproteinemia because plasma proteins are lost in the urine. Sepsis (whole body infection) – macrophages activated in the liver and spleen secrete TNF-alpha into the bloodstream resulting in hypoproteinemia. Pathophysiology
Decreased serum protein reduces the oncotic pressure of the blood, leading to loss of fluid from the intravascular compartment, or the blood vessels, to the interstitial tissues, resulting in edema. This is termed as hypoproteinemia. Diagnosis
Hypoproteinemia is often confirmed by testing for serum albumin and total protein levels. References


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