HC Deb 20 October 2003 vol 411 cc456-7W
Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in each year since 1997 have been diagnosed with(a) eczema, (b) asthma, (c) AIDS and (d) glaucoma. [132210]

Dr. Ladyman

Information on eczema, asthma and glaucoma is not collected centrally in the form requested

Hospital episode statistics collect data on admissions. Table 1 shows hospital admissions—this does not represent numbers of children diagnosed with these conditions, as a child may have more than one admission within the year, or may not be admitted at all.

Table 1—Primary diagnoses (ICD10 various codes) eczema, asthma, glaucoma. Count of finished in-year admission episodes Age on admission 0–17 years. NHS hospitals England—1997–98 to 2001–02
1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02
Eczema 3,655 3,840 3,853 4,184 3,792
Asthma 32.430 29,384 26,317 23,910 25,324
Glaucoma 942 1,092 1,116 1,208 1,227

Notes:

1. Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

3. Grossing—figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).

Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Information is collected centrally by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre on the numbers of children diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in England. Data from 1997 is shown in table 2.

Table 2—Year of HIV/AIDS diagnosis aged 14 or younger at diagnosis
Number
1997 77
1998 95
1999 80
2000 101
2001 78
2002 102

Note:

Numbers will rise as late reports are received.

Source:

Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, data to the end of June 2003.