Childhood Hospital Admissions & Mortality

Childhood Hospital Admissions & Mortality

1. In children under 15 years of age, emergency admissions are far more common than planned admissions (the reverse is true for adults). During 2005/06,  the emergency admission rate was 65.4 per 1,000 population (56,596 admissions) in comparison to the planned admission rate of 47.9 per 1,000 population (41,446 admissions).
   
2. Children under the age of one year have the highest admission rate, largely attributable to emergency admissions (239.1 per 1,000 population).
   
3. For children under the age of 15 years, the three most common main diagnoses for planned admissions in 2005/06 were : 'Disorders of teeth, tongue and mouth' (24.2%); 'Congenital anomalies' (10.0%) and 'Neoplastic disease' (9.4%).
   
4. For children under the age of 15 years, admitted as an emergency, the three most common diagnses in 2005/06 were : 'Respiratory disorders' (23.0%) e.g. Asthma ; 'Symptoms and signs without a definitive diagnosis' (20.4%) e.g. convulsions, abdominal and pelvic pain; 'Injuries and poisonings' (18.4%).
   
5. In 2005/06 almost 35,000 planned operations/procedures were carried out for children aged under 15 and over a quarter (27%) were for operations on their teeth including simple extractions. This is particularly noticeable for children in the 1-4 and 5-9 year age groups with rates of 10.9 and 19.2 per 1,000 population, respectively.
   
6. Tonsil and adenoid operations are also commonly performed on children and account for 9.2% of all main procedures for planned admissions. This is most evident in the 5-9 year age group (4.5 per 1,000 population).

1. Death rates in children under 15 years have, in general, fallen from 9.2 per 10,000 population (914 deaths) in 1985 to 4.9 per 10,000 population (422 deaths) in 2005.
   
2. Although death in childhood is rare, mortality rates are highest amongst children under the age of one year, with a rate of 52.1 per 10,000 population; this represents approximately two thirds of all deaths in children under 15 years of age (284 out of 422).
   
3. The main cause of death in childhood are perinatal conditions (165).  These are conditions occurring in the first week of life such as disorders relating to prematurity and respiratory and cardiovascular disorders.  The second most common cause of death are congenital anomalies (92).  These two primary causes of death account for over half (60%) of deaths in children under 15 years old and demonstrate that pregnancy and birth are very hazardous periods of development.
   
   For further information on perinatal conditions, please see the Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR)
   
   
4. Mortality rates are higher in more deprived areas: 6.4 deaths per 10,000 population in the most deprived areas compared with 3.3 deaths per 10,000 in the least deprived areas.