ABSTRACT
Most polytraumatized burn injury persons aged 30-40 years who have suffered a burn or a burn-like injury are stigmatized by serious functional deficits, temporary loss of their social independence, injury-associated psychological reactions of different levels, and unusual reversible deficits in their higher cortical functions. The result is a prolonged stage of acute treatment and rehabilitation as well as very often the lifelong need for highly specialized care by physicians and other medical professionals. Accordingly, the deficits in any individual case are high and in spite of the low case rate (approximately 300-400 cases/ year) these accidents have a high impact on society as a whole, resulting in a significant financial burden for the social security system, insurance funds, and pension funds.
