The number of people aged 35 or over admitted to hospital for a smoking-related disease has risen by about a fifth since 1997/98, says a report from The NHS Information Centre out today.

In 2007/08, there were approximately 1.4 million hospital admissions for people aged 35 or over with a primary diagnosis of a disease that can be caused by smoking. In 1997/98 the number of hospital admissions was 1.2 million. This number has been rising steadily over the last 10 years.

Around 440,900 hospital admissions for those who were 35 and over were estimated to be attributable to smoking in 2007/08. This accounts for one in 20 of hospital admissions for those in the age group and includes:

• 25 per cent (105,800) of all admissions with a primary diagnosis of respiratory disease
• 16 per cent (138,600) of admissions with a primary diagnosis of circulatory diseases
• 12 per cent (161,200) of admissions with a primary diagnosis of cancer being attributable to smoking.

Statistics on Smoking, England, 2009, which brings together information about smoking from several sources, also showed that nearly one in five deaths among people 35 and over in England was estimated to be caused by smoking in 2008. In the year, it showed:

• An estimated 83,900 people died as a result of smoking – 18 per cent of all deaths for adults aged 35 or over.
• For men in the 35 and over age group, the proportion of deaths estimated to be as a result of smoking was 23 per cent – nearly one in four.
• Among women aged 35 and over , the proportion of deaths estimated to be as a result of smoking was 14 per cent.

The figures showed:

• 35 per cent (23,200) of deaths due to respiratory diseases
• 29 per cent (37,700) of all cancer deaths
• 14 per cent (21,600) of deaths due to circulatory diseases, and
• Six per cent (1,400) of deaths due to diseases of the digestive system

were attributable to smoking.

The report aims to present a broad picture of health issues relating to smoking and covers topics such as smoking habits, behaviours and attitudes among adults and school children, smoking-related ill health and mortality and smoking-related costs.

A full copy of Statistics on Smoking, England can be found at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/smoking09

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with more than 300 health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work.
2. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
3. The report combines data from different sources presenting it in a user-friendly format. It contains data and information previously published by The NHS Information Centre, Department of Health, the Office for National Statistics and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. It also includes new analyses carried out by The NHS Information Centre.
4. For media enquiries, please call 0845 257 6990.

ENDS