Press release 17/12/2009

HOSPITAL ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE STATISTICS 2008

42.6% of the people who were admitted to hospital in 2008 were aged 65 or over.

Circulatory diseases were the main reason for people being admitted to hospital

Acute care hospitals in the Basque Country registered 316,857 hospital discharges in 2008, including people who were hospitalised or admitted to day hospital units, which was up by 6.6% on the previous year, according to Eustat data. 74% of the discharges were from public hospitals and 26% from private ones. The average stay, without taking into account people admitted to day hospital units, came to 6.3 days in 2008 (6.6 days in 2007).

One out of every four hospital discharges in 2008 were from day hospital units. The cases treated in those care units, where the patient is discharged on the same day that he is admitted, have increased significantly over recent years (2000-2008) and particularly in the case of cataract operations and chemotherapy sessions.

Circulatory system (cardiovascular) diseases were the main cause of hospitalisation in 2008 and accounted for 11.9% of the total number of discharges, followed by diseases of the nervous system and sensory organs (11.4%), which moved up a position thanks to a 16.7% increase with respect to 2007, and digestive system diseases (11.1%) were in third place.

Hospital discharges by most frequent diagnostic groups by sex.

The longest hospital stays were in the case of mental disorders, with an average of 12.9 days, and of perinatal diseases (11.8 days), followed at a distance by infectious diseases (9 days) and tumours (7.4 days).

51.7% of the total people hospitalised were women, which was higher than the figure for men (48.3%) due to the number admitted while pregnant and to give birth. The demand for hospital care increases with age: 42.6% of the people who were admitted to hospital in 2008 were aged 65 or over. The average hospitalisation age was 57 for women and 60 for women, while the most frequent age was 74 for men and 76 for women (without taking into account admission for pregnancies, deliveries and Puerperium).

Hospital admission and discharges varied according to the sex and age of the patient. By sex, diseases of the circulatory system were the main cause for men being admitted, followed by those of the digestive system, while they were in third and fifth position in the case of women, after pregnancy, delivery & puerperium and diseases of the nervous system and sensory organs

Other groups of diseases also stood out due to their special impact on certain age groups. Thus, respiratory diseases stood as the main reason for admission among children aged 0-14 (particularly tonsillitis/adenoids), fractures and injuries among men aged 15-44 (knee dislocation), osteo-muscular conditions in women aged 45 to 64 (internal knee injuries: meniscus) and digestive system diseases in men (inguinal hernia).

Circulatory (heart failure) and nervous system and sensory organ diseases (cataracts) were the main reasons for people aged 65 and over being admitted to hospital.

Hospital discharges by most frequent diagnostic groups by age and sex. 2008

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Maite Ugarte Tlf:+34-945-01 75 47 F ax:+34-945-01 75 01 Online press releases: www.eustat.es Databank: www.eustat.eus/bancopx/spanish/indice.asp