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Abstract
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PURPOSE: To determine population-based incidence and characteristics of facial and ophthalmic injuries from domestic mammal bites in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
DESIGN: Retrospective, population-based cohort study.
METHODS: The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) was used to identify all potential cases of facial injuries from domestic mammal bites in Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1/1/1999 and 12/31/2015. Subjects were categorized into two cohorts. The ophthalmic cohort, which included ocular and periocular injuries with or without facial injuries, and the non-ophthalmic cohort, which included facial injuries only. The incidence and characteristics of facial and ophthalmic injuries from domestic mammal bites were assessed.
RESULTS: There were 245 patients with facial injuries: 47 ophthalmic and 198 non-ophthalmic. The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence of facial injuries was 9.0 (CI: 7.9-10.1) per 100,000 persons per year, 1.7 (CI: 1.2-2.2) ophthalmic and 7.3 (CI: 6.3-8.3) non-ophthalmic. Rates of facial injuries were highest in patients younger than 5 years and lowest in patients 50 years or older, 49.1 (CI: 41.3-61.6) and 1.3 (CI: 0.7-2.5) respectively (p <0.001). All facial injuries were caused by either dog (92%) or cat (8%) bites. Patients with ophthalmic injuries received more intravenous prophylactic antibiotics (18% vs. 1%, p<0.001), wound closure (83% vs. 58%, p<0.001), and hospital admission (6% vs 0%, p=0.007) than patients with non-ophthalmic injuries. Facial injury complications were infrequent (14, 6%) and included soft tissue infection and prominent scar.
CONCLUSIONS: While domestic mammal bites to the face are quite common, ocular injury occurs in a minority of cases.
Language: en |