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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Oct 2000

Vol. 524 No. 5

Written Answers. - Paracetamol Products.

Dan Neville

Question:

341 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of liver transplants in each of the years from 1997 to 1999; and the number of liver transplants due to damage as a result of paracetamol overdoses in each of the years 1997 to 1999. [23238/00]

Dan Neville

Question:

345 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of cases of self-poisoning in each of the years from 1997 to 1999; and the number of cases of self-poisoning resulting from paracetamol products in each of these years. [23242/00]

Dan Neville

Question:

346 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who suffered liver damage as a result of paracetamol poisoning in each of the years from 1997 to 1999. [23243/00]

Dan Neville

Question:

347 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of kidney failures resulting from overdosing on paracetamol products in each of the years from 1997 to 1999. [23244/00]

Dan Neville

Question:

357 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will outline by gender the number of people who overdosed on paracetamol products for 1997, 1998 and 1999. [23291/00]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 341, 345, 346, 347 and 357 together.

The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following tables.

The data are derived from the hospital in-patient enquiry – HIPE – system which covers all hospitalisations in publicly funded acute hospitals. This system records hospital episodes and is not a patient based database. Thus where a patient is admitted into hospital on more than one occasion these individual hospital episodes are recorded separately. For specific conditions it is not possible to use the HIPE database to ascertain the underlying cause of the illness or procedure. This is particularly true for conditions which have more than one cause or have a long-term effect.

Table 1 contains all discharges recording self-poisoning. The table also identifies whether those discharges include a specific indication of paracetamol type poisoning. Poisonings from other similar analgesics, that is, acetanilid and phenacetin, cannot be excluded from this category but numbers are not likely to be significant. In addition the data are broken down by gender.

Table 1
Hospital Discharges with a Diagnosis of Self-Inflicted Poisoning and Hospital Discharges with a Diagnosis of Poisoning and Paracetamol* Poisoning

Year

Self-inflicted Poisonings Males

Self-Inflicted Poisonings Females

All Self-Inflicted poisonings

All Self-Inflicted Poisonings also diagnosed as a paracetamol* poisoning Males

All Self-Inflicted Poisonings also diagnosed as a paracetamol* poisoning Females

Self-Inflicted Poisonings also diagnosed as a paracetamol* poisoning

1997

1,462

2,280

3,742

357

758

1,115

1998

1,441

2,219

3,660

349

680

1,029

1999

1,358

2,048

3,406

315

688

1,003

Source HIPE 1997-1999.
*Also includes acetanilid and phenacetin.
The second table shows the number of hospitalisations for liver damage, liver transplants and kidney failure for the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. A very small number of these hospital episodes – less than 0.5% – also include a diagnosis for paracetamol type poisoning. For the reasons stated above it must be emphasised that it is not possible to use HIPE system to ascertain what proportion of these hospitalisations may have been directly or indirectly related to self-poisoning.
Table 2
Number of Hospital Discharges Diagnosed as Liver Damage, Liver Transplant, Kidney Failure

Year

Number of hospitalisations due to Liver Damage

Number of Liver Transplants

Number of hospitalisations dues to Kidney Failure

1997

1,429

26

1,523

1998

1,676

27

1,824

1999

1,593

25

1,758

The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following tables.
The data are derived from the hospital in-patient enquiry, HIPE, system which covers all hospitalisations in publicly funded acute hospitals. This system records hospital episodes and is not a patient based database. Thus where a patient is admitted into hospital on more than one occasion these individual hospital episodes are recorded separately. For specific conditions it is not possible to use the HIPE database to ascertain the underlying cause of the illness or procedure. This is particularly true for conditions which have more than one cause or have a long-term effect.
Table 1 contains all discharges recording self-poisoning. The table also identifies whether those discharges include a specific indication of paracetamol type poisoning. Poisonings from other similar analgesics, that is, acetanilid and phenacetin, cannot be excluded from this category but numbers are not likely to be significant. In addition, the data are broken down by gender.
Table 1
Hospital Discharges with a Diagnosis of Self-Inflicted Poisoning and Hospital Discharges with a Diagnosis of Poisoning and Paracetamol* Poisoning

Year

Self-inflicted Poisonings Males

Self-Inflicted Poisonings Females

All Self-Inflicted poisonings

All Self-Inflicted Poisonings also diagnosed as a paracetamol* poisoning Males

All Self-Inflicted Poisonings also diagnosed as a paracetamol* poisoning Females

Self-Inflicted Poisonings also diagnosed as a paracetamol* poisoning

1997

1,462

2,280

3,742

357

758

1,115

1998

1,441

2,219

3,660

349

680

1,029

1999

1,358

2,048

3,406

315

688

1,003

Source HIPE 1997-1999.
*Also includes acetanilid and phenacetin.
The second table shows the number of hospitalisations for liver damage, liver transplants, liver transplants and kidney failure for the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. A very small number of these hospital episodes – less than 0.5% – also include a diagnosis for paracetamol type poisoning. For the reasons stated above it must be emphasised that it is not possible to use the HIPE system to ascertain what proportion of these hospitalisations may have been directly or indirectly related to self-poisoning.
Table 2
Number of Hospital Discharges Diagnosed as Liver Damage and Kidney Failure, and the number of Liver Transplants performed

Year

Number of hospitalisations dues to Liver Damage

Number of Liver Transplants

Number hospitalisations dues to Kidney Failure

1997

1,429

26

1,523

1998

1,676

27

1,824

1999

1,593

25

1,758

Source HIPE 1997-1999.
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