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. 2023 Feb 21:10:1104477.
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1104477. eCollection 2023.

A 10-year retrospective analysis (2012-2021) of hospitalizations resulting from dog bites in Southern Italy

Daniela Alberghina  1 , Antonino Virga  2 , Gianluca Sottile  3 , Sergio Pio Buffa  4 , Michele Panzera  1
Affiliations

A 10-year retrospective analysis (2012-2021) of hospitalizations resulting from dog bites in Southern Italy

Daniela Alberghina et al. Front Vet Sci. .

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the incidence and characteristics of dog-bite injury hospitalizations (DBIH) in the largest administrative region of Italy (Sicily) over the 10-year period: 2012-2021. Four hundred and forty-nine cases were analyzed. Patients were divided into seven age groups: preschoolers (0-5 years), school-age children (6-12 years), teenagers (13-19 years), young adults (20-39 years), middle-aged adults (40-59 years), old adults (60-74 years), and the elderly (≥75 years). Association among categorical variables (age, gender, principal injury location) was evaluated using chi-square tests, and mean differences for normally distributed variables were assessed using one-way analysis of variance. Finally, a Poisson regression general linear model (GLM) analysis was used to model incidence data. The results revealed that the incidence of DBIH per 100,000 population increased from 0.648 in 2012 (95%CI 0.565-0.731) to 1.162 in 2021 (95%CI 1.078-1.247, P < 0.01). Incidence for both male and female victims also increased over the studied period (P < 0.05). We found an increasing trend of incidence in young and middle-aged adults (P < 0.05 and P < 0.005 respectively). Moreover, the most frequently injured age group by dogs was the preschooler group and, whilst we found a lower risk of being injured for males older than 20 years, no difference with females was observed. The location of lesions depended on the age group (P < 0.001). The number of days of DBIH increased significantly with age (P < 0.01). The increase of DBIH represents a public health problem that requires the development of preventive approaches.

Keywords: Southern Italy; dog bite; hospitalizations; incidence; injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The trends of dog bite injury hospitalizations (DBIH) from 2012 to 2021 across both sexes. In particular, females showed an increase in the rates of DBIH over the 10 years examined.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evaluation of trends indicates an increase in young (20–39 years) and middle-aged adults (40–59 years).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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