Human Bite Injuries on the Jos Plateau

Abstract

Background: Human bite injuries with the associated morbidity are not uncommon in this environment. Objective: To determine the pattern, management modalities and treatment outcome of human bites in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Design: A prospective study of all human bite injuries managed at the jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria between January 2012 and December 2014. Setting: Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria. Main outcome measures: The pattern and management outcome. Results: A total of 63 patients with human bite injuries were studied during the three-year period. There were 43 males and 20 females with a males female ratio of 2:1. The age ranged from 8 - 65 years with a mean age of 30.2 ±17 years; in all about 75% of the patients fell into the 20 - 40 years bracket. Though all the social strata were affected, the bites were more common (50%) among the lower social classes and 70% of the patients presented late after 24 hours of sustaining bite injuries. Pain, bleeding, infected wounds, bite and scratch marks were the main presenting features. About 70% of the patients sustained major bites involving the underlying muscles and deeper structures while 89% of the patients sustained their bites during a fight, 8% while raping their victims, and in 3% of patients as they were being mugged. The bites were between spouses in 39% of cases, and between women in polygamous settings in 16%. The sites commonly affected were the upper limbs in 46%, chest in 21%, ears in 13%, abdomen in 10% and the penis in 6%. The associated injuries were scratch marks in 89%, blunt abdominal injuries in 29%, skin lacerations in 16% and urinary bladder/urethral injuries in 3%. There was no mortality but morbidity was 57% which included infections in 29%, disfigurement in 29%, penile injuries in 6% and minor urethral injuries in 3% of cases. Conclusion: Human bite injuries in this tropical environment commonly affected the young male, the lower social class and the upper limbs; they were commonly sustained in assaults and domestic conflicts.