Describing the relationship between cat bites and human depression using data from an electronic health record

Area of Science:

• Clinical informatics
• Epidemiology
• Mental health research

Background:

• Data mining of electronic health records (EHRs) reveals clinical associations.
• Previous studies suggest a potential link between cat bites and human depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between cat bites and depression.
• To determine if the association differs between cat and dog bites.
• To explore demographic differences in the cat bite-depression association.

Main Methods:

• Utilized administrative diagnosis codes from 1.3 million patients to identify depression and bite cases.
• Conducted manual chart review to confirm cat versus dog bites.
• Analyzed depression prevalence and demographic data in bite patient cohorts.

Main Results:

• Depression was diagnosed in 41.3% of cat bite patients versus 28.7% of dog bite patients.
• Women comprised 85.5% of cat bite patients with depression, compared to 64.5% of dog bite patients with depression.
• Women with cat bites had a 47.0% lifetime depression diagnosis probability, versus 24.2% for men.

Conclusions:

• A higher proportion of depression is observed in cat bite patients, especially women.
• Depression screening may be warranted for patients presenting with cat bites.
• The cat-human mental illness relationship, particularly with depression, requires further investigation.