“Browning” of White Fat in Patients After Severe Burn Injury
Severe burn injuries cause an abnormal increase in metabolic rate in patients such as the increase in
the amount of calories patients burn throughout the day. The increase in metabolic rate results in
accelerated loss of muscle and fat from the body which increases the chance for infection and death.
The research team at Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Galveston under the direction of Dr. Labros
Sidossis, believes that a major determinant of this response is the transformation of the white fat that is
stored under the skin into “brown fat.”
Healthy Child
Child with Severe Burn Injury
This area of research is new and has emerged from
the discovery of more than one type of adipose
tissue cells in humans. This type of “brown fat” has
the unique characteristic that, when activated by
stressful conditions like severe burn trauma, can
burn significant amounts of calories and become
detrimental to children. Shriners Hospitals for
Children — Galveston’s goal is to find pharmacologic
or other interventions to prevent this transformation
of fat to decrease muscle loss and cachexia.
However, the ability to burn excess calories is
desirable for an obese, diabetic patient. This is why the research has the potential to not only help burn
patients in Galveston, but also to provide the basis for treatments for obesity and diabetes mellitus.
This type of research provides the basis for the development
of effective treatments not only for burn injuries, but also for
a number of other human diseases that kill or debilitate
thousands of individuals each year. Moving into the future,
the research from Shriners Hospitals for Children — Galveston
has the potential to revolutionize the way medical
professionals think about energy regulation in human
diseases and conditions such as severe burn trauma, cancer,
obesity and diabetes.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Galveston
Designated by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons Committee on
Trauma as a verified pediatric burn care center, Shriners Hospitals for Children — Galveston provides
highly specialized acute, reconstructive and rehabilitative care for children with burns and other soft
tissue conditions. Inpatient and outpatient units are designed to allow children to recover in a safe,
family-centered environment along the continuum of their care. The world-class physicians, clinicians,
and researchers are committed to continuously provide advanced burn care and treatment to children
from all over the world.
Since Shriners Hospitals for Children — Galveston entered the burn care field in 1966, the survival rate
of children with burns over more than 50 percent of their body surface has doubled. Today, patients
with burns over 90 percent of their body can survive and go on to lead full, productive lives thanks to
the cutting-edge clinical care, research, and education at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Galveston.
815 Market Street • Galveston, Texas 77550
www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/galveston
Patient Referrals: 888-215-3109 409-770-6773 (Emergency)