ABSTRACT
Burn injuries constitute a major public health problem. A hospital-based descriptive observational study was conducted among 83 burn patients admitted in the Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata in 2008 to assess the demographic and clinical profile of burn patients and to study the medicolegal and social causes. Majority of patients were females (61.5%), literates (78.4%), hindus (79.5%) and in the age group of 20-39 years (56.6%). Occupation-wise housewives were 36.1% followed by students (16.8%).Majority of the cases (61.4%) were accidental whereas suicidal and homicidal cases were 18.1% and 20.5% respectively. According to the size 25.3% patients had 20% -39% of body surface burns and 21.7% had 80% or more burns. 53% of the cases were given blood transfusion and 23.5% died in the study period.