[Hospital admissions due to obstructive lung diseases and pneumonia in two hospital districts]

Admission rates for specific diseases in a defined district can be used as a coarse estimate of the need for health services. Such registration has not previously been conducted in the hospital districts of Bergen and Haugesund. We recorded all patients 16 years and older admitted to three hospitals for obstructive lung disease or pneumonia in the two hospital districts of Bergen and Haugesund in April to June 1997. A total of 438 patients were included in both districts, 246 with obstructive lung disease and 192 with pneumonia. The admission rate for obstructive lung disease was 359 per 100,000 inhabitants per year, for pneumonia 280 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Median age was between 71 and 75 years for men and women for both diseases. 13% of patients with obstructive lung disease were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. Obstructive lung disease and pneumonia are common causes of hospital admission, especially among older persons. The admission rates for both diseases combined were 639 per 100,000 adults per year in the hospital districts of Bergen and Haugesund.