Press Release 31/01/2019

HOSPITAL MORBIDITY STATISTICS. 2017

Acute care hospitals in the Basque Country registered 232,856 admissions in 2017

In addition, 75,179 individuals underwent outpatient surgery

A total of 232,856 people were admitted to acute care hospitals in the Basque Country (not including medium and long-stay hospitals and psychiatric hospitals) in 2017, which was an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous year, according to Eustat data. The main causes of hospital admissions continued to be digestive, circulatory and respiratory diseases, which as a whole accounted for 38.1% of admissions. In addition, 75,179 people were treated as outpatients; in this case the main reason for treatment was eye diseases.

As for hospital ownership, 83% of people were treated in public hospitals and 17% in private hospitals; in the latter there was a different treatment pattern, as musculoskeletal problems (18.5%) were the most treated pathologies.

Although the proportion of hospital admissions for men (50.3%) was similar to that for women (49.7%), if we exclude cases of care for childbirth, pregnancy and postnatal issues, which, in general do not constitute a health problem, this percentage stood at 54.7% for men, nearly 10 percentage points above that for women (45.3%).

People aged 65 and over attended hospitals more frequently and represented almost half of all admissions (48.7%) and, amongst them, 45% corresponded to people aged 80 and over.

Of the total of hospital admissions, those resulting from diseases of the digestive system (13.5%) were the most common, followed by those of the circulatory system (12.7%), respiratory system (11.9%), tumours (9.7%) and trauma and injuries (9%). Of the remaining admissions, those caused by pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal issues accounted for 7.9%, with a drop of 5.7% compared to 2016, which placed this group in seventh place, behind those caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system (8.5%).

Amongst women, excluding cases linked to maternity (16%), treatment was received for, in first place, diseases of the digestive system (11.5%), followed by those of the respiratory system and the circulatory system, with a similar weight, in third and fourth place (10.5% and 10.4%, respectively).

Amongst men, the three main causes coincided with those of women, although the proportion of cases is always greater: diseases of the digestive system (15.4%), the circulatory system (15%) and the respiratory system (13.3%).

Additionally, hospital admissions are closely related to age: in the 0-14 age group respiratory and perinatal diseases were the most common; in the 15-44 age group admissions linked to pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal issues predominated, with 36.5%; as age increases other pathologies are predominant: digestive diseases and tumours in the 45-64 age group, circulatory diseases amongst individuals in the 65-79 age group and circulatory and respiratory diseases in those aged 80 and above.

If pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care are excluded, the average age of individuals admitted to hospital was 62 years. This figure was higher (72 years) for circulatory diseases. Except in the cases of tumours and diseases of the genitourinary system, the average age of hospital admission for men was below that of women, and the greatest difference occurred in hospital admissions due to trauma and injuries (54 years, compared to 67 years for women).

The average length of hospital stays was 5.7 days; the longest stays were for mental disorders (13.6 days), followed by perinatal diseases (11.2 days), infectious diseases (8.8 days) and tumours (7.1 days).



Cataracts and eye diseases accounted for 38,2% of outpatient surgery

Outpatient surgery, where patients are admitted, treated and discharged on the same day, recorded 75,179 admissions (-0.6% compared to 2016), of which 38.2% corresponded to the group of eye diseases, with cataracts being the most treated pathology.

In second place were diseases of the musculoskeletal system (10.8%), within which the most frequent were knee disorders, in men, and bunions, in women.

Methodological note

For reasons of comparability with Spanish and international statistics, the hospital admissions mode only takes into account admissions with a stay equal to or greater than 1 day, that is, admissions with 0 days are not counted. The length of stay is calculated as the number of days between the date of admission and the date of discharge, without taking into account the time of admission or discharge. This same criterion has been applied to 2016 data in order to make it comparable with that of 2017.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel: 945 01 75 62