Hand surface area as a percentage of body surface area in Asian children: a pilot study

The hand surface area (HSA) of one hand has been estimated as 1% of the body surface area (BSA). This does change with the patient's age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). There are many HSA studies done on adult populations, but fewer done on children. Our hypothesis in this study is that the general HSA equation for Caucasian adults cannot be applied as accurately to children and Asian people. HSA was defined as the area of the palm without fingers in this study. Children are in a stage of growth. If a child's hand growth ratio is not the same as that of an adult, the result of HSA/BSA calculation could be different. We undertook this study to determine whether or not there were any differences in HSA/BSA among Korean children (7-18 years) and adults (20-60 years), and compared our results with western data. A total of 186 boys aged between 7 and 18 years, were recruited for this study; their HSA was measured, directly. A total of 186 adults aged between 20 and 60 years were selected as well. BSA was calculated only for volunteers in subjects who HSA had been measured. From these results, HSA/BSA was calculated. HSA/BSA ratio of Korean boys was 0.69 ± 0.05%, which was less than 1%. It is suggested that the ratio of the western data may not be applicable to Asian children, particularly, Korean children. HSA/BSA ratio can be applied in administration of drug doses and estimation of the area of burns.