Who knew a slice of pie could be so dangerous?
The number of hospitalizations in the United States involving pizza rocketed by more than 50% in 2018, compared to the previous year.
Whether it was caused by falling upstairs while carrying a delivery or someone slashing a finger with a pizza cutter, there were no fewer than 3,800 visits to the ER two years ago related to the tasty Italian food. That figure compares to 2,300 injuries in 2017.
The statistics come from medical service provider Babylon Health in honor of National Pizza Day on Sunday, Feb. 9. The 2018 figures mark the highest number of injuries since the company started counting them.
The company analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which is run by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Findings were based on medical records from an extrapolated sample of 100 emergency departments across the country in which the word “pizza” was included in doctors’ notes.
The unfortunate pie-related cases in 2018 included a 17-year-old man poking the roof of his mouth with a fork while eating pizza, an 18-year-old woman swallowing her tongue ring after feasting on a slice and a 21-year-old woman preparing a pizza who slipped with a bread knife in her hand.