547 - Risk and Protective Factors of Severe Acute Lye Injury in Children in Liberia

Lye (caustic soda, sodium hydroxide) is commonly used as a household cleanser and to make soap in Liberia.  Lye exposure is a frequent cause of pediatric injuries in Liberia.  Children with lye injuries in Liberia are often transferred to referral hospitals including those in the capital city of Monrovia in Montserrado County or Phebe Hospital in Bong County.  There is no published data on the burden of lye injury in Liberia.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to describe the risk and protective factors related to severe lye injury in Liberia.

Design/Methods:

This was an age-matched case-control study. A severe lye injury case was defined as lye injury requiring hospitalization. Cases of children < 15 years of age hospitalized within 1 week of injury at one of the 9 participating hospitals in Montserrado County or at Phebe Hospital in Bong County, were included. Two age-matched control patients were recruited from the same inpatient unit for each case.  Demographic and patient-, family-, and community-level risk and protective factors were collected via chart review and parental questionnaire.  Data was summarized through standard descriptive statistics using Stata.

Results:

There were 43 cases and 85 controls captured during the study period which ran from November 2019 until April 2020 before being interrupted by COVID-19 pandemic and then restarted January 2021 through June 2022.  This study was unable to capture cases that died prior to transfer or were managed entirely outside of the study sites. Two of the eleven hospitals in Montserrado County declined to participate.  The COVID-19 pandemic limited the ability to include hospitals outside of Montserrado County.

Conclusion(s):

Lye is a familiar but persistent cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in Liberia.  The presence of lye in the home and a soap maker in the home were more common in cases than controls.