Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Burn Injuries

More than 500,000 burn injuries occur in the United States each year. The CDC reports that more than 29,000 people are hospitalized annually for burn injuries.

Burns may heal in months or weeks, but the long-term effects of burn injuries may last a lifetime.

Jordan Law Center’s burn injury lawyer explains the long-term effects of burns.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Burns?

The long-term effects of burns can be physical, emotional, and financial. A person may experience chronic physical health issues and limitations. These ailments may contribute to worse overall health outcomes. A person may have mental health issues that are intertwined with ongoing physical issues. These burdens can have a financial impact, lowering employment opportunities and resulting in ongoing treatment expenses.

Physical, Emotional, and Financial Toll on Burn Victims

Recovery is not only the absence of physical ailment, but it is also an optimal quality of life. A burn injury can impact a person’s life long after initial treatment.

Physical impact

Burns may cause visible scars, functional disability, and health complications.

Long-term physical impact of burns may include:

• Loss of feeling, nerve damage
• Skin tightening (contracture)
• Visible scars
• Skin itching
• Less mobility, joint stiffness
• Chronic pain
• Abnormality in regulating body temperature
• Muscle wasting, loss of strength
• Difficulty sleeping
• Bone density loss

Complications may be severe enough that the person functionally has a disability.

More than half of people with burns may experience chronic pain 10 years after their injury.

Itching may persist long term for approximately 25% of burn injury patients. Itching may correlate to the number of surgeries and whether the person has other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

One source reports that burns are associated with secondary pathologies, including:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Gastrointestinal disease

The study suggests that burn injury may disrupt the body’s stability, leading to worse overall health outcomes. Immune system function may be depressed, increasing the risk of respiratory illness.

Increased mortality

Burn injury may lead to higher mortality rates long term. Researchers report an increase in five-year mortality for burn injury patients, which may be true even for people whose burns are relatively minor or moderate. The causes of mortality vary including accidents and violence.

Emotional impact

The long-term emotional impact of a burn injury can have multiple facets. A person may have post-traumatic stress disorder, experiencing disturbing thoughts and other symptoms. Loss of physical strength may correlate with worse emotional outcomes.

Burn injury may cause ongoing challenges with body image. The person may experience anxiety and depression. These struggles may impair social relationships and employment, which may, in turn, contribute to worsening mental health.

Burns on the face and hands may be readily visible to others. This can impact the person’s self-perception and perceived health.

The goal of continued improvement

Researchers believe that mental health may continue to improve in the years following burn injury. One study found that even 15 years later, burn victims could still see a noticeable improvement in life satisfaction.

Physical and psycho-social therapy can assist a person in addressing the long-term implications of burn injury. Physical movement and function can improve optimism and well-being. The level of social support and self-sufficiency may correlate to long-term recovery.

Financial impact

A burn injury may impact long-term financial wellness in the following ways:

• Increased medical bills
• Inability to work
• Disruption to career path because of physical limitations
• Cost of personal care
• Need for personal comforts like specialized clothing, massage, and other health support
• Modified living needs
• Economic costs to society as a whole

Some of the financial impact of a burn injury occurs immediately. The person may have medical and out-of-pocket costs. They may be unable to work for some time. Other financial impacts can be longer-term. A person may experience lower earnings over a lifetime and increased personal needs.

Healing is complex and holistic

Recovery following a burn injury is intertwined through all areas of well-being. Physical recovery can impact emotional recovery, for example. A person’s ability to work impacts their mental outlook and optimism.

The long-term implications of a burn injury are financial, emotional, and physical. Addressing each of these facets can improve overall quality of life. A burn injury patient may benefit from surgery, medications, laser therapy, massage, specialized clothing, mental health care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social support.

Complications of Burn Injury

Complications of burn injury are both short term and long term. Long-term complications can be recognized in a claim for compensation.

The purpose of a burn injury claim is to make the person financially whole, to the extent possible, for the economic and non-economic losses that they endure. A Greenville burn injury lawyer can work to ensure that your claim is complete.

How a Greenville Burn Injury Lawyer Can Help

Compensation for the long-term implications of a burn injury can be claimed. However, long-term impact must be part of the injury claim. There are time limits for filing an injury claim.

A person can’t wait until years later to see what the long-term effects are. They also can’t reopen a case later if problems arise.

It’s critical to identify likely long-term impacts and make the claim for compensation complete.

This means detailed medical evidence, presented through qualified experts. These experts identify long-term implications and value them for the claim. A Greenville burn injury lawyer is an experienced professional who can prepare your case.

Talk to a Lawyer

Have you or a loved one suffered a burn injury? You may be looking to understand the long-term implications of burn injury. At Jordan Law Center, we represent burn injury victims. We make sure your compensation claim is complete, including seeking fair compensation for the long-term consequences of the injury. Call or message us to talk to a lawyer about your case.