Medeiros Michelle Marchi, Marson Fernando Augusto Lima, Marques Leonardo Souza, Peixoto Andressa Oliveira, Fraga Andrea de Melo Alexandre
Department of Pediatrics, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Laboratory of Medical and Human Genetics, São Francisco University, Braganca Paulista, Brazil.
Front Pediatr. 2022 Aug 3;10:963803. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.963803. eCollection 2022.
Accidents involving dog attacks are very common, which makes this type of accident a global public health issue. The estimates point to 20% of the victims of such accidents seeking care in health units, and half of them being children. In addition to acute injuries, dog attacks might result in fractures, infections, scars, and psychological traumas. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological profile of dog attacks to children under 14 years old assisted in a pediatric emergency service in Brazil.
The database of the Information and Toxicological Assistance Center of Campinas was surveyed to identify cases of children under 14 years old assisted after a dog attack in a 9-years period. Demographic data, number and type of lesions, type of exposure, part of the body affected, dog origin and condition, and the accident location and cause were analyzed. The data were presented in a descriptive way, and the age groups were classified as follows: 0-3 years old, 4-6 years old, and 7-14 years old. The different age groups were compared one to another regarding the markers evaluated using the chi-square test and the Fisher's exact test. A 0.05 alpha was adopted in all analyses.
The number of children assisted in the study period totaled 1,012. The 7-14-year-old group was the most affected ( = 498; 49.2%), male patients were also majority ( = 660; 65.2%). Most injuries were found on the head/neck area ( = 378; 37.4%). However, the older the patients were, the higher the frequency of lesions on upper and lower limbs was, as well as attacks occurred in external environments, thus involving animals that could not be observed. A significant increase in accidents with provoked causes was observed in younger patients.
Accidents involving dog attacks are more likely to happen among boys. Younger children run higher risks of becoming victims of these accidents inside homes, being attacked by pets, and showing a greater incidence of head and neck lesions. Older children present more injuries on their limbs, which are caused by dogs that cannot be observed.
涉及狗袭击的事故非常常见，这使得此类事故成为一个全球公共卫生问题。据估计，此类事故的受害者中有20%会到医疗机构就诊，其中一半是儿童。除了急性损伤外，狗袭击还可能导致骨折、感染、疤痕和心理创伤。本研究旨在描述在巴西一家儿科急诊服务机构接受救治的14岁以下儿童遭狗袭击的流行病学特征。
对坎皮纳斯信息与毒理学援助中心的数据库进行调查，以确定在9年期间遭狗袭击后接受救治的14岁以下儿童病例。分析了人口统计学数据、损伤的数量和类型、暴露类型、受影响的身体部位、狗的来源和状况以及事故地点和原因。数据以描述性方式呈现，年龄组分类如下：0至3岁、4至6岁和7至14岁。使用卡方检验和费舍尔精确检验对不同年龄组在评估指标方面进行相互比较。所有分析均采用0.05的显著性水平。
研究期间接受救治的儿童总数为1012名。7至14岁年龄组受影响最大（n = 498；49.2%），男性患者也占多数（n = 660；65.2%）。大多数损伤出现在头部/颈部区域（n = 378；37.4%）。然而，患者年龄越大，上肢和下肢损伤的频率越高，且袭击发生在外部环境中，涉及无法观察到的动物。在较年轻的患者中，观察到由挑衅原因导致的事故显著增加。
涉及狗袭击的事故在男孩中更易发生。年龄较小的儿童在家中成为此类事故受害者、被宠物袭击以及头部和颈部损伤发生率较高的风险更大。年龄较大的儿童四肢受伤更多，这些损伤是由无法观察到的狗造成的。
