By IANS
New York : Severe burn injuries can trigger heart problems, a new study by US experts on children indicates.
A burn is damage to body’s tissues caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight or radiation. Death rates are high among people who suffer severe burn injuries. But doctors have often struggled to pinpoint the exact cause of those deaths.
In the new study of 189 children, a team from Shriners Hospitals for Children found that those who suffered 80 percent burns had a “marked” reduction in heart function, the Critical Care Journal said.
They also found that burns in general put severe stress on other parts of the body, reported online edition of BBC News.
When a person is burnt, a dramatic reaction is triggered in the body, followed by a physiological state over the following days.
This response involves an increased metabolism (the physical and chemical changes occurring in the body). A patient suffering 40 percent or more burns uses up double or more the usual number of calories.
To meet the body’s energy demands following a burn, the body uses up fat stores at a higher rate than usual, lead researcher Marc Jeschke said.
The body’s vital organs like heart and liver are then placed under stress and wounds take longer to heal, making the body vulnerable to infection.
In particular, the risk of cardiac dysfunction, which impacts on the regular beating of the heart, is raised.