Patients are susceptible to infection or sepsis in spite of intensive burn therapy.
It has long been recognized that burned patients are more susceptible to infection than unburned patients. This is not due merely to the presence of overwhelming numbers of bacteria on the burned surface, since it occurs much too rapidly following injury and affects not only the skin but other organ systems as well.
The earlier studies show that the susceptibility of infection is related to the changes of serum protein and immunoglobulin concentrations.
This study was carried out to define the alterations in certain serum protein electrophoretic and immunoglobulin changes as a consequence of acute thermal injury. We classified 60acute thermally burned children who were treated at the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery, Han Yang University Hospital, from April to September 1981, according to age groups and to the extent of burned surface. In these groups We followed serum protein and immunoglobulin concentrations as they related to post burn day for 30 days.
As a result of analyzing the serum protein and immunoglobulin changes of each age group, following was obtained
1. ´Thermal trauma causes a decrease in total serum protein, albumin and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgAand IgM) concentrations, but an increase in a2-globulin concentrations.
2. Total serum protein, albumin and r -globulin levels decrease in proportion to the
extent o f burned surface.
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