Epidemiology of dog bite and strike related hospital admissions in Scotland, 1997 to 2022

To describe the epidemiology of dog-related injuries leading to hospital admission in Scotland and to estimate the direct health care costs.

A retrospective, longitudinal analysis of Scottish hospital admissions coded under the W54 ICD-10 code 'bitten or struck by dog', 1997-2022.

Hospital admissions episodes coded under W54 were extracted from the SMR1/01 dataset. Descriptive analyses were performed. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated using negative binomial distribution. Direct NHS health cost estimates were calculated.

Incidence of dog bite and strike related admissions near tripled between 1997 and 2022, from 5.9 to 17.2 per 100,000 population with an annual IRR of 1.047 (P < 0.001). Incidence has risen most steeply in adults, with all age groups over 15 years having an IRR between 1.040 and 1.065 (P < 0.001). Incidence of overnight admissions doubled, and zero-day admissions increased by five times. Hospital admissions were 2.4 times higher in the most deprived quintile compared to the least deprived. Setting of bite was not consistently recorded, but young age groups were more likely to have the home setting recorded. Admissions related to dog bites or strikes resulted in an estimated £28.6 million of direct health care costs, from the admission alone, over the 25-year period.

Dog bites and strikes can be devastating injuries. Unfortunately, over the last 25 years there has been a steep rise in incidence in Scotland, despite attempts at control through legislation. Further work to better understand the health and wider costs of these injuries, the epidemiology to inform preventative interventions, and improved co-ordination through inter-sectoral collaboration is recommended.