The Prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children Admitted to The Pediatric Emergency Room with Burns

Aim: Burns are common, especially in children. Here, we aimed to determine incidence of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children with burns a nd compare them with healthy children.
Patients and Methods: This prospective study was conducted between August 2019 and April 2021. The
study group consisted of pediatric patients aged between 3-16 years admitted to the pediatric emergency
with burns. Children aged between 3-16 years admitted for non-traumatic reasons also constituted the
controls. Cultural and demographic characteristics of both groups were similar. After initial intervention
and stabilization, the revised Conners’ Parental Rating Scale (CPRS-R) was applied to both groups.
Results: The study group consisted of 143 individuals with a mean age of 6.93±2.96 years, and 69
(48.3%) were girls. The control group consisted of 140 children (mean age: 6.72±2.48 ranging between
3-16 years), and 49.3% were girls. There was no statistically significant difference between both groups
regarding age and gender (p=0.36, 0.84, respectively). The most common cause of burns (69.2%)
was exposure to hot water or oil spill. Most of the victims due to burns (89.5%) were discharged from
emergency after outpatient intervention. All subscale scores calculated through CPRS-R, except for
cognitive problems/inattention subscale scores, were significantly higher in the study group than the
controls. The educational status of the parents in the study group was hi gher than those of the controls.
Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the incidence of ADHD symptoms may be higher in children
admitted to the emergency department due to burn injuries.