Finian McGrath
Question:810 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if over 50% of hospital beds are occupied by cigarette smoking related illness patients. [19689/03]
Written Answers. - Tobacco-Related Illnesses.
The following illnesses are considered to be smoking related: cancer of lip, oral cavity and pharynx; cancer of oesophagus; cancer of stomach; cancer of pancreas; cancer of larynx; cancer of trachea, bronchus and lung; cancer of bladder and kidney; cancer of unspecified site; myeloid leukaemia; ischaemic heart disease; myocardial degeneration; cerebrovascular disease; atherosclerosis; aortic aneurysm; pneumonia and influenza; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; gastric, duodenal and peptic ulcers. Analysis of hospital discharge data for 2002 indicates that approximately 19% of all in-patient bed days were accounted for by patients with a principal diagnosis from the above list. A similar figure is obtained when data for earlier years are analysed. The figure of 19% is considerably lower than the figure of 50% mentioned in the Deputy's question, but it nevertheless represents a very significant proportion of hospital in-patient activity. It should be emphasised, however, that these illnesses also affect non-smokers, and it is not possible to determine what proportion of bed days may be directly attributable to smoking. The data are derived from the hospital in-patient inquiry, HIPE, system which captures information on all discharges from publicly funded acute hospitals.