Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 3

Written Answers. - Medical Statistics.

John Gormley

Question:

252 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the statistics, if any, he has relating to brain haemorrhages categorised by residence and age; if so, if these statistics are available to members of the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22262/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The two principal national sources of statistics on brain haemorrhage are the hospital in-patient inquiry – HIPE – administered by the Economic and Social Research Institute and the annual reports on vital statistics compiled by the Central Statistics Office. The HIPE system collects information on each discharge from publicly funded acute hospitals including data on age, area of residence, diagnoses and procedures. The annual reports on vital statistics contain detailed information on mortality by principal cause, age, area of residence and other variables. Data from both HIPE and CSO are available to members of the public subject to safeguards regarding confidentiality.

The following table presents a breakdown of hospitalisations by broad age groups and county of residence for brain haemorrhage in 1998. It should be noted that private hospitals are not included in HIPE and that persons hospitalised more than once in a given year for the same condition are counted separately in the statistics for each hospitalisation.

Hospitalisation for brain haemorrhage by age group and county of residence, 1998

County ofResidence	Under 65years	65 yearsand over	All Ages
Carlow	10	13	23
Cavan	14	10	24
Clare	25	9	34
Cork	86	71	157
Donegal	19	31	50
Dublin	227	245	472
Galway	43	37	80
Kerry	24	19	43
Kildare	29	16	45
Kilkenny	10	16	26
Laois	11	11	22
Leitrim	5	5	10
Limerick	49	24	73
Longford	5	8	13
Louth	22	17	39
Mayo	19	18	37
Meath	17	21	38
Monaghan	16	11	27
Offaly	7	6	13
Roscommon	12	14	26
Sligo	16	9	25
Tipperary	39	18	57
Waterford	24	16	40
Westmeath	14	19	33
Wexford	27	23	50
Wicklow	38	15	53
Other	16	6	22
Total	824	708	1532

Source: Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) System.

John Gormley

Question:

253 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to an increase in brain haemorrhages among people under 40 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22263/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen): The information required by the Deputy is: 1994, 179; 1995, 168; 1996, 192; 1997, 167 and 1998, 199.

Analysis of the figures to the end of 1998, the latest date for which this information is available, indicate that between the years 1994 and 1998, the number of brain haemorrhages among people under 40 years of age fluctuates annually. The Deputy will appreciate that there is no evidence to indicate any specific trend.