Seán Power
Question:191 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Health and Children the total number of people who were hospitalised in 1997 for tobacco-related illnesses; the cost of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13061/98]
Written Answers. - Tobacco Related Illnesses.
Consumption of tobacco increases the risk of morbidity from a wide range of illnesses. These include cancers, diseases of the heart and circulatory system, and respiratory conditions. Data on hospital discharges are collected through the hospital in-patient inquiry, HIPE system which covers all publicly funded acute hospitals. Returns for 1997 are 80 per cent complete, and the following table sets out statistics showing the numbers of hospital discharges for conditions regarded as smoking related. A total of 54,158 hospitalisations fall into this category, representing 14 per cent of all hospital discharges and accounting for an estimated 20 per cent of hospital inpatient costs. Caution should be exercised in the interpretation of these figures since they include all hospitalisations from the specified illnesses, irrespective of whether or not they were due to smoking.
International studies indicate that 19 per cent of all deaths in Ireland can be attributed to smoking. This figure derives from the publication Mortality from Smoking in Developed Countries, 1950-2000 by Richard Peto and others, who used the results of epidemiological studies of mortality in smokers versus non-smokers in the United States to assign proportions of total mortality due to tobacco for each relevant cause of death. Similar proportions are not available for morbidity and it is, therefore not possible to estimate with any precision the share of hospitalisations for smoking related illnesses which are due either directly or indirectly to smoking. For the same reasons, it is not possible to state what proportion of hospital costs are due to the effects of smoking.
Discharges from Publicly Funded Acute Hospitals for Conditions Regarded as Smoking Related, 1997
|
Condition |
Number of Discharges |
|
Ischaemic Heart Disease |
17,473 |
|
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
14,862 |
|
Cerebrovascular Disease |
7,959 |
|
Arterial Disease |
3,401 |
|
Cancer of Trachea, Bronchus and Lung |
2,224 |
|
Upper Aero-Digestive Cancer* |
1,991 |
|
Hypertensive Disease |
1,985 |
|
Peptic Ulcer |
1,856 |
|
Cancer of Bladder and Kidney |
1,670 |
|
Disease of Pulmonary Circulation |
737 |
|
Total |
54,158 |
* Includes Cancers of Mouth, Oesophagus, Pharynx and Larynx.
Source: Hospital In-Patient Enquiry.