Giving severe burns patients vitamin D supplements could be a simple and cost-effective way of helping their wounds to heal and avoiding infection. This was the conclusion of the first study to examine the effects of vitamin D in burn injury recovery. The research — which was led by the Institute of Inflammation and Aging in Birmingham, United Kingdom — is to feature at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference, held in Harrogate, U.K. Burns are wounds to the skin and other tissues that are caused by heat — including exposure to a flame or fire, or from scalding. They can also result from friction, radiation, radioactivity, electricity, and contact with chemicals. Burn injuries are considered a global public health problem and are responsible for around 180,000 deaths every year. The majority of burns occur in the home or in the workplace. Worldwide, nonfatal burns are a leading cause of hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability. Of the 486,000 people treated for burns every year in the United States, around 40,000 are hospitalized. A high proportion of burn injuries occur in children. In the U.S., the direct cost of treating children with burns came to more than $211 million in 2000.