Sunburn led to an estimated 33,826 visits to US emergency departments (EDs) in 2013, resulting in a cost of $11.2 million, according to a recent study. Researchers examined the demographics and characteristics of patients seen at the ED or urgent care clinic (UCC) for sunburn treatment at 2 major hospitals over a 15-year period. They searched the Partners Healthcare Research Patient Data Repository for sunburn visits to the EDs of Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and associated UCCs between January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2015. They found:

• 200 patients with a total of 204 visits for sunburn to the ED (n=180) or UCC (n=24) were identified.
• Psychiatric illness (19 patients [9.3%]), alcohol use (13 patients [6.4%]), and homelessness (13 patients [6.4%]) were associated patient characteristics.
• Indoor tanning accounted for 4 patients (2.0%) of the presenting sunburns.
• Blistering (76 patients [37.3%]), constitutional symptoms (38 patients [18.6%]), and secondary infection (2 patients [1.0%]) were the most common complications.
• The most common treatment provided was nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen with or without opioid (119 patients [58.3%]), and aloe and/or moisturizers (61 patients [29.9%]).