A year after smoking ban hospitals report dramatic fall in heart attacks

As its first anniversary approaches on July 1, nearly six in ten NHS trusts are reporting a dramatic fall in the number of heart attack patients being admitted to emergency wards.

The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Daily Mail, are the first real indication of the impact of the smoking ban on hospital admissions for heart problems in England.

90 per cent of pubs, clubs and restaurants have complied with the ban with many installing special areas outside for smokers

Coronary heart disease costs the country £3.5billion a year, but the Government has yet to publish statistics about the effects of the ban.

However, NHS records show some hospitals have seen the number of cases plummet by 41 per cent since July 2007.

There were 1,384 fewer heart attacks across England in the nine months after the legislation was introduced compared to the same period a year earlier.

That means rates have fallen by 3 per cent across the country since the ban.

Amanda Sandford, of the pressure group Action on Smoking and Health, added: 'This is excellent news.

'It seems likely that the drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks is linked to the implementation of the smoking ban.

'It shows just how quickly the benefits can be felt.

'Even if the overall percentage reduction appears small, the fact that this amounts to over a thousand people whose lives have been saved is extremely important.

'Any single life saved is worth celebrating.'

It follows similar research in Scotland and Ireland that showed hospital admissions for heart attacks fell by 17 and 14 per cent respectively, in the year after the ban came in there during 2006.

Studies in France and Italy have also pointed to a link between a drop in heart attack rates and smoking restrictions.

Dr Nicholas Boon, president of the British Cardiovascular Society, said: 'This is great news.

'It is exactly what we hoped and expected to see.

'When you place these figures with the research in Scotland, Ireland, France and Rome, it is consistent with the observation that the ban has been followed by significant improvements in heart attack rates.

'It is early days, but the benefits may be greater in the long run.'

Smoking is one of the major causes of heart attacks.

Experts believe the ban has triggered a drop in heart attacks due to both the number of people quitting and the reduction in passive smoking as fewer people are exposed to airborne toxins.

The research looked at admissions for heart attacks from 114 trusts, of which 66 saw a drop in admissions between July 2007 and March 2008 compared to that period 12 months earlier.

In the remaining 48 trusts, admission rates stayed the same or increased marginally.

In total, there were 42,176 admissions to all the trusts from October 2006 to June 2007.

But in the nine months after the ban, that number fell by 1,384, or three per cent.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust saw the most significant decrease in heart attack admissions, with a drop of 41 per cent  -  418 fewer.

A substantial fall in heart attack patients could save the NHS a fortune. It costs up to £5,000 to treat an emergency heart attack patient.

It is estimated that smokers have almost twice the risk of a heart attack compared to those who have never smoked.

Around ten million British adults smoke  -  about a quarter of the population  -  and there are 230,000 heart attacks each year causing around 100,000 deaths.

Of these, 123,000 take place in adults aged under 75.

Research shows people in this group stand to benefit more from a smoking ban as they suffer greater exposure to smoke.

But a year after a person quits, the risk of a heart attack falls to half of that of a smoker.

Dr Mike Knapton, of the British Heart Foundation, said: 'This is very significant.

'I think we can say that this indicates the smoking ban has had a beneficial effect on the rate of heart attacks quicker than many people predicted.

'This shows that the ban was the most significant public health initiative this century.

'These figures are also fantastically encouraging if you want to give up smoking.

'It suggests the benefits of stopping smoking are realised faster than you think.'

The Department of Health said: 'It is obviously good news. However it is too early to attribute this to the smokefree legislation.'