A 10-year retrospective analysis (2012-2021) of hospitalizations resulting from dog bites in Southern Italy.

This study aimed to describe the incidence and characteristics of dog-bite injury hospitalizations (DBIH) in the largest administrative region of Italy (Sicily) over the 10-year period: 2012-2021. Four hundred and forty-nine cases were analyzed. Patients were divided into seven age groups: preschoolers (0-5 years), school-age children (6-12 years), teenagers (13-19 years), young adults (20-39 years), middle-aged adults (40-59 years), old adults (60-74 years), and the elderly (≥75 years). Association among categorical variables (age, gender, principal injury location) was evaluated using chi-square tests, and mean differences for normally distributed variables were assessed using one-way analysis of variance. Finally, a Poisson regression general linear model (GLM) analysis was used to model incidence data. The results revealed that the incidence of DBIH per 100,000 population increased from 0.648 in 2012 (95%CI 0.565-0.731) to 1.162 in 2021 (95%CI 1.078-1.247, P < 0.01). Incidence for both male and female victims also increased over the studied period (P < 0.05). We found an increasing trend of incidence in young and middle-aged adults (P < 0.05 and P < 0.005 respectively). Moreover, the most frequently injured age group by dogs was the preschooler group and, whilst we found a lower risk of being injured for males older than 20 years, no difference with females was observed. The location of lesions depended on the age group (P < 0.001). The number of days of DBIH increased significantly with age (P < 0.01). The increase of DBIH represents a public health problem that requires the development of preventive approaches.

An emergent infectious disease: Clostridioides difficile infection hospitalizations, 10-year trend in Sicily.

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea worldwide and C. difficile infection is an emerging infectious disease. In the US, its rates are monitored trough an active surveillance system, but many European Union member states still lack this, and in Italy no epidemiological data on C. difficile infection are available except for a few single-centre data. AIM: To provide data on the C. difficile infection incidence in Sicily (the biggest and 5th most populous region of Italy) during a 10-year period. METHODS: We revised all the regional standardized discharge forms between 2009 and June 2019 using the code ICD-9 00845 of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision Clinical Modification, which refers to C. difficile infection with or without complications. RESULTS: 1139 cases of CDI were identified. 97% were adults with a median age of 73.2 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.4. Female patients were older than males and patients who died were older than patients who did not. The main comorbidities were renal disease, diabetes, pneumonia and hypertension. There were 65 reporting hospitals and 86% of cases were provided by level III and II hospitals. Between 2009 and 2019, the incidence increased 40-fold. 81.5% of cases were reported in Medicine Units, Infectious Diseases Units and long-term care facilities. The mean length of stay was 20 days. Mean case fatality rate was 8.3% over the 10-year period. CONCLUSION: Clostridioides difficile infection is a dramatically increasing condition in Sicily. A high-quality surveillance system and shared diagnostic protocols are needed.

Incidence and characteristics of hospitalizations after dog's bite injuries in Sicily (Italy) between 2012­2015.

There have been several studies focusing on dogs bite injuries and their epidemiology. To our knowledge, the incidence and characteristics of hospitalization after a dogs bite injury have not been examined quantitatively in Italy. The aim of this study was to identify the incidence and characteristics of dogs bite hospitalizations throughout Sicily (Italy) between 2012-2015. Data for statistical analysis were acquired through the Epidemiological Observatory and Health Department of Sicilian Region (Italy). One hundred and forty records with E-code 906.0 (dogs bites) were extracted from 214 cases of hospitalization due to lesions caused by animals. The age group most frequently injured by dogs was children between 0 and 9 years old. The distribution of bite incidences among males and females was similar in children between 0 and 15 years and in elderly adults between 60-84 years old; whereas it was statistically different in adults between 16-59 years, 66% males and 34% being female (Z=2.60, P<0.01). The head, face, and neck region constituted the most common location of lesions in children (76%), the hands were the most common location of lesions for adults (38%), while the arms were the most common location for the elderly (43%). Two photoperiods were considered, short: October-March, and long: April-September. During the long photoperiod, 69% of injuries occurred in children (P<0.05). The identi cation of the incidence and characteristics of hospitalization could be useful for proposing specific preventive approaches to dogs bites injuries.