In 2018,
over 180,000 deaths were reported due to burn injuries every year, with
majority of the cases occurring in the low and middle-income countries, as
mentioned by the statistics published by the World Health Organization.
Further, burns are considered to be one of the primary causes of
disability-adjusted life years in low and middle-income countries. The report
further mentioned that more than 1,000,000 people suffer moderate to severe
burn injuries every year in India.
Further, due
to burns, about 17% and 18% children have become temporarily and permanently
differently abled, respectively, in 2018 in countries, such as Pakistan, Egypt,
Colombia, and Bangladesh. This is indicative of the growing demand for wound care biologics to treat burn injuries. Biologics
are biological agents, such as plant-derived active biomolecules, which help
mend the innate repair mechanisms and have anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory,
and anti-oxidant properties.
Wound care
biologics are used for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds. Acute wounds
can be caused due to trauma or surgeries and progress through stages of wound
healing. They usually heal completely within four weeks. These are either
surgical, burn, or traumatic. By definition, even an incision made during a
surgery can also be considered a wound. Chronic wounds develop and persist over
time, and usually are a result of some other chronic condition. One of the types of chronic wounds is the
diabetic foot ulcer. These are commonly observed in diabetic patients, and in
some cases, may even lead to amputation of the limb. Some common risk factors
of diabetic foot ulcer are structural foot deformity, peripheral arterial
occlusive disease, and diabetic neuropathy.
