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Smoking Bans May Cut Down on Heart Attacks

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 April 2004, 06:00 CDT

Study finds 40% drop in heart attacks at hospital in one community during ban

HealthDayNews -- A public smoking ban may reduce the number of heart attacks in a community, says a study in the April 5 online issue of the British Medical Journal.

The study was conducted in the small American community of Helena, Montana, which enacted a ban on smoking in public and in workplaces. The ban, in effect from June to November 2002, was overturned by opponents in December 2002.

During the six months of the smoking ban, the number of heart attack patients from Helena admitted each month to the local hospital fell by about 40 percent. There was no significant decline in heart attack admissions for people living outside Helena during that period.

This is the first study to report an association between a public smoking ban and a decline in heart attacks. Further research is needed to confirm the findings, the study authors noted.

However, they added the findings suggest that smoking bans not only protect people from the dangers of secondhand smoke, they may also be associated with a rapid decrease in heart attacks.

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Copyright © 2004 HealthDay. All rights reserved. The information contained above is intended for general reference purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment.

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