NHS: 1 in 20 hospital admissions down to smoking

New figures released by the NHS show that one in 20 hospital admissions among the 35-plus age group in the UK are due to conditions caused by smoking.

A new report from the NHS Information Centre shows that there were 1.4 million hospital admissions due to smoking from 2007 to 2008, costing the service £5.2 billion annually.

Among patients aged 35 and over, smoking-related conditions accounted for five per cent of admissions, with one in five deaths occurring within the age group being due to smoking.

Gillian Merron, the public health minister, said: “These figures reveal the sad reality that over a million smokers needlessly end up in hospital each year due to their habit.”

According to a study carried out by Cancer Research UK in July, men are more likely to smoke for social and confidence reasons, while women are more likely to smoke to help them lose weight and deal with anxiety.