Consider What Else Might Be Going on with Sunburn Patients

Patients who seek care for sunburn in emergency rooms and urgent care centers often have complicating concerns—some of which have little directly to do with the sunburn, according to a new report published in JAMA Dermatology. Psychiatric illness (9.3% of cases), alcohol use (6.4%), and homelessness (6.4%) were among the more common, according to researchers from Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and associated urgent care clinics. More closely linked with sunburn were blistering (37.3%), constitutional symptoms (18.6%), and secondary infections (1%). Regardless of any coexisting symptoms, NSAIDs, acetaminophen with or without opioid (58.3%), and aloe and/or moisturizers (29.9%) were the most common treatments. IV fluids were needed for 8.8% of patients visits, and 2% resulted in admissions.