§ Ms GordonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recorded cases of asthma in children of school age there were for each year from 1979 to 1993.
§ Mr. SackvilleIt is estimated that between 4 and 6 per cent. of children suffer from asthma sufficiently seriously to require medical supervision. Numbers of hospital inpatient cases of children suffering from asthma are available from hospital episode statistics for the years shown in the table. Figures for earlier years are not available.
Finished consultant episodes—ordinary admissions and day cases—in which asthma was the main diagnosis for the five to 18 age group, England Number 1988–89 27,547 1989–90 23,175 1990–91 20,536 1991–92 22,965 Source:
Hospitals Episode Statistics, estimate from a 25 per cent. sample.