Climatic factors correlate with emergency visits due to animal injuries in Southern Turkey: A single-center retrospective study

Abstract

BackgroundAnimal-related injuries are among the major causes of morbidity and mortality all over the world, especially in rural areas. This study aims to determine the characteristic features of animal-related injury cases presented to the emergency department and to evaluate their temporal trends and relationships with climatic factors. MethodsAmong the animal-related injury cases, those who applied between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021, in a small seaside town in Turkey were included in the study. Application date, age, gender, ICD code, and prognosis constitute the variables from the hospital information management system within the relevant date range. Meteorological data were taken from Hatay Meteorological Directorate as average daily temperature ( °C) and humidity (g/m3). Descriptive statistics are presented using mean, standard error, number, percentage, and ratio. Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson correlation analysis, linear trend analysis, chi-square, and t-test were used in the analyses. The statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05. ResultsA total of 6634 animal-related injuries were included in the study. The average age of the injured was 26.1 ± 21.1 years and 60.3 % were male. Injuries were most frequently observed in the 0–9 age group (29.9 %). Of all the cases, around 0.1 % were hospitalized and there were no reported deaths. Injuries caused by mammalian species accounted for 85 % of the cases. The number of recorded cases was lowest in 2018 and highest in 2021. Over the five years, animal-related injuries showed an increase trend which was not statistically significant (R2 = 0.216, p= 0.430). The injury cases showed a marked seasonality; numbers tended to increase in March and reached the highest level between June and September. While a significant and positive relationship was observed between the daily average temperature and the number of cases (r = 0.428, p < 0.001), there was no correlation between the average relative humidity and the injury numbers (p = 0.537). ConclusionThis study revealed that animal-related injuries were commonly seen in children and young middle-aged adult groups and during warmer seasons. Based on the results of the study, we suggest several strategies to reduce the public health impact of animal-induced injuries, such as region-specific intervention programs adapted to animal species and seasonal changes, educational campaigns targeting children during the warmer seasons, and improved data recording systems for the cases.