We are not equal in the face of bites of dogs. For example, if you are prone to anxiety easily, the aggressive dog might sniff easy prey in you. This observation was made by British researchers who took stock of the bites and profiles of the victims of them in the journal Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. They found that the most anxious people were bitten by dogs more than others and also less quick to report it. “The only official statistics collected on dog bites in the UK are hospital admissions, not even emergency room visits,” the site explains. Livescience Carri Westgarth, researcher in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the University of Liverpool. “We have no idea how many people are actually bitten by dogs and how many bites require medical treatment.”
To find out which profile is most at risk for attracting dog canines, researchers surveyed 700 people in 385 households in the small town of Cheshire. Participants were asked about their possible canine bite experience as well as their personality. The British have seen trends: men were twice as likely as women to get bites in their lifetime. These often took place in childhood (44% of respondents) and mostly (55%) inflicted by unfamiliar dogs.
Anxiety would attract the bite
More interestingly, scientists suggest a link between people’s emotional stability and the likelihood of being bitten. In the panel studied, the more emotionally unstable a person was, the more likely they were to have been bitten by a dog according to the study. “The less anxious, irritable and depressed a person is, the less likely they are to be bitten,” Carri Westgarth sums up. As to whether the anxiety stems from the experience of the bite or whether it favors the bite, the researchers are silent. Other work is to be done.
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