Epidemiology of burns caused by moxibustion in Korea

Highlights

• Moxibustion is a common traditional Oriental treatment for various conditions.

• The epidemiology of moxibustion induced burn is not well understood.

• Patients underwent moxibustion in their home or in Oriental medicine clinics.

• Non-abdominal burn sites were associated with a higher frequency of deep burns.

• Moxibustion should be performed with care at non-abdominal sites.

Abstract

Introduction

Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese treatment that uses dried Artemisia argyi, is a common cause of burns treated in Korean hospitals. We aimed to examine the characteristics of moxibustion-induced burns.

Methods

This retrospective study examined the records of 59 patients who were treated for moxibustion-induced burns (April 2014–October 2015). All patients completed a questionnaire regarding their general characteristics and moxibustion use.

Results

The patients included 16 men and 43 women (average age: 49.1 years, 68 burn sites). Superficial second-degree burns were present at 21 sites, deep second- or third-degree burns at 44 sites, and unknown burns at 3 sites. The most common sites were the lower extremities, abdomen, and upper extremities. The most common practitioners were the patients (27/59, 45.7%) and Oriental medicine practitioners (23/59, 38.9%). The most common locations were the patient's home, Oriental medicine clinic, and moxibustion clinic. The most common reason for moxibustion was pain. Only the burn site was significantly associated with burn depth, and non-abdominal sites were 9.37-fold more likely to involve deep burns (vs. abdominal sites).

Conclusion

Korean patients routinely undergo moxibustion, and care must be taken when using moxibustion at non-abdominal sites, due to the risk of deep burns.

Introduction

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese treatment that uses dried mugwort (Artemisia argyi) and plays an important role in traditional medical treatments in Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, and China. A bibliometric analysis of articles that were published between 1954 and 2007 revealed that moxibustion has been reported for treating 364 different conditions [1], most commonly fetal breech, diarrhea, colitis, urinary incontinence, dysmenorrhea, knee osteoarthritis, temporomandibular joint disturbance syndrome, soft tissue injury, heel pain, asthma, urinary retention, and herpes zoster [1]. Moxibustion can also be used to treat weakness, fatigue, and aging-related conditions.

Traditional moxibustion typically involves one of three techniques [2]. The first is direct scarring moxibustion, which involves placing a small cone of moxa on the skin and burning it until the skin blisters, which leaves a scar after the burn has healed. The second technique is direct non-scarring moxibustion, which involves removing the burning moxa before the burn will result in a scar. The third technique is indirect moxibustion, which uses a cigar made of moxa near the skin or alongside acupuncture; the material does not directly contact the skin.

Koreans often rely heavily on Oriental medicine, which is a popular and comprehensive term in Korea that includes both traditional Korean and Chinese medicine, and many Koreans visit Oriental medicine clinics for their health concerns. For example, a Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare survey in 2015 revealed that 17% of Koreans initially visit an Oriental medicine clinic for their health concerns [3]. Cho et al. reported that burns occurring in Oriental medicine clinics account for 11% of all burn patients who are treated in medical institutions, and moxibustion is the cause of 38% of burns that occur in Oriental medicine clinics [4]. However, there are only a few reports regarding the epidemiology of moxibustion-induced burns. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients with moxibustion-induced burns and to elucidate the factors that affect burn depth.