Cases of hospitalisation arising from respiratory related illnesses rose by 11.4% in the acute hospitals of the A.C. of the Basque Country in 2005, according to Eustat data. These figures made the group of respiratory diseases the fourth most important cause of hospital admission (sixth in 2004). On the one hand, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia stood out as the most common of these respiratory illnesses and on the other there was a notable increase in the number of hospitalisations as a consequence of ‘flu, which quadrupled as regards 2004.

In 2005, 280,441 patients were discharged as a consequence of the 222,398 people who had been hospitalised or treated in the day units of the acute hospitals, 1.3% more than the previous year. The average hospital stay was 5.5 days (5.4 in 2004).

76% of cases that were medically discharged in 2005 were treated in public hospitals and 24% in private ones. By gender, 51% were women and 49% men; however, if we exclude cases due to pregnancy and childbirth, the male percentage rises to 53.4%. The most common age of hospitalisation among men was 73, while for women it was 78 (not taking pregnancy and childbirth into account).

Graph 1.- Patients discharged from acute hospitals by most common major diagnostic groups, 2004-2005

Source: EUSTAT

Circulatory system diseases, which continued to be the main cause of hospitalisation with 12.6% of the total number of discharges in 2005 (13.1% in 2004), fell by 2.2% with regard to 2004. Within this group, cardiac insufficiency, coronary arteriosclerosis, varicose veins and arrhythmias were the most commonly diagnosed pathologies.

Digestive system diseases made up the second most frequent cause of hospital admission, with 11.5% of the total number of discharges, the most common cases being inguinal hernias (15.6%), gallstones (15.3%) and acute appendicitis (7.3%).

Given the growing importance of the activities of day hospitals in the treatment of nervous system and sensory organ diseases (especially cataracts), they came in third position, with 9.8% of the total number of discharges, the same percentage as respiratory system diseases, which came in fourth position ahead of tumours (8.9%) and complications in pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium (8.8%).

Cases ending in the death of the patient represented 2.9%. The most frequent age of death was 74 for men and 85 for women, and the main causes were: cardiac insufficiency (the main cause among women), pneumonia and malignant neoplasm of trachea-bronchial tubes-lungs (the main cause among men).

The rate of readmissions was 5.7% and was mainly linked to chemotherapy treatment (maintenance chemotherapy) and chronic obstructive bronchitis, with an average hospital stay of 3.9 days and 9.3 days respectively.

Circulatory system diseases were the main cause of hospital admission among men and the third among women

The order of the most common group of diseases varied according to sex. For men, those related to the circulatory system were the main cause of hospital admission, followed by the group of digestive system diseases and respiratory diseases, which for women was the third cause, behind complications in pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium and nervous system and sensory organ diseases.

Turning to age groups, the most frequent diagnosis for the population aged 0-14 was, for both sexes, chronic tonsillitis and adenoids; for the 15-44 age group, internal knee disorders and acute appendicitis among men and pregnancy and childbirth for women. The 45-64 age group was dominated by the inguinal hernia among men and multifocal neuropathy and varicose veins for women and for those aged 65 and over it was cataracts, followed by chronic bronchitis for men and osteoarthrosis for women.

Cataracts were the most frequent surgical operation for those aged over 65

Cataracts, classified within the group of nervous system and sensory organ diseases, were not solely the most frequently diagnosed pathology in acute hospitals, but also the cause of most surgical operations, mainly in public hospitals (85.7%). Next came the treatment of childbirth and the implantation of hip and knee prostheses.

The most frequent surgical operations by age group and sex were: operations on tonsils and adenoids and on the appendix among the 0-14 age group; knee operations for men and obstetrical procedure (induction of labour or delivery) for women in the 15-44 age group; repair of hernias among men and uterus and breast operations for women in the 45-64 age group and cataract operations in the over 65 age group.

Table 1.- Patients discharged by major diagnostic groups 2004 and 2005

Source: EUSTAT