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Response

The Department of Health does not collect the exact statistical information requested.  Detailed information, by age and reason for admission, is only available for patients who are admitted to hospitals as in-patients (ie this excludes outpatients and those attending accident and emergency departments who were not subsequently admitted to hospital). For the patients who were admitted 4.8 per cent were aged between 18 and 21.

A) Total - alcohol related (*)
            - emergency admissions (**)
                             = 129,747

B) Total of A that were aged 18-21
                             = 6,176

C) B as a % of A       = 4.8%

(*) Alcohol related defined as:

Counts include any of the records where the following listed codes are recorded in the primary or secondary field.

Primary diagnosis
F10.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
T51.- Toxic effect of alcohol
R78.0 Finding of alcohol in blood

Secondary diagnosis
F10.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
T51.- Toxic effect of alcohol
X45.- Alcohol poisoning and exposure to alcohol
X65.- Intentional self poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
Y90.- Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by alcohol level
Y91.- Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by level of intoxication
R78.0 Finding of alcohol in blood
Z72.1 Alcohol use

(**) Emergency admission defined as:

Emergency - via accident and emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider
Emergency - via general practitioner (GP)
Emergency - via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau
Emergency - via consultant out-patient clinic
Emergency - other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another health care provider

Other explanatory notes:

Finished admission episodes
A finished admission episode is 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.

Diagnosis (primary diagnosis)
The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 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.

Secondary diagnoses
As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (6 prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care.

Ungrossed Data
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

• Hospital episode statistics