Hospitalizations from dog bites have actually increased over the past few years. According to a new study, the number of people that had to be admitted to the hospital after suffering a dog bite, increased by a staggering 86% from 1993 to 2008.The study was conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

According to the analysis, there were 5,100 dog bite cases that ended with hospitalization in 1993, and by 2008, that number had increased to 9,500. There were other interesting results from the analysis:

• People living in rural areas were much more likely to make a trip to the hospital after a dog bite than those in urban areas. There were up to four times as many visits to the emergency room and three times as many hospitalizations in rural areas, compared to urban areas
• Males were much more likely to require hospitalization after dog bites.
• The most at-risk groups for serious dog bites were children and elderly people.
• Approximately half the persons who were hospitalized after a dog bite developed a skin infection.
• Overall, the dog bites cost hospitals an average of about $18,200 per patient.
• People aged below 44 years of age were much more likely to require treatment in an emergency room after a dog bite. Approximately 75% of the persons in this age group had to be rushed to an emergency room after a dog bite.
• Not surprisingly to Los Angeles dog bite lawyers, most injuries after a dog bite involved skin infections, open wounds, head and neck injuries and upper limb fractures.
• People in the Midwest seemed to be at the highest risk of a dog bite, with approximately 109.9 visits to an emergency room for every 100,000 people in this region. In the West, it was just 93 visits to an emergency room for every 100,000 people.