U.K. Heart Attack Admissions Fall After Smoking Ban

Hospitals in the U.K. admitted about 100 fewer heart-attack victims each month after a ban on indoor smoking went into effect in July 2007, the Times of London reported June 9.

Researchers examined data on all adult hospital admissions in England between July 2002 and September 2008 and found that there were 1,200 fewer admissions for heart attack during the first year after the ban.

The study estimated that the new law prevented about 200 deaths in a year and saved the U.K. government millions of dollars in healthcare costs. Experts said that a million lives could be saved each year if China adopted and enforced similar laws.

The findings were reported in the British Medical Journal.