Smoking Ban Decreases Heart Problems

08/06/08 Prevention

Scotland’s ban on indoor smoking has yielded an interesting outcome: the number of emergency room visits for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has dropped significantly.

ACS is a term used to describe conditions related to insufficient blood supply to the heart such as chest pain. The study was reported in the July 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to the publication The Smoking, Health, and Social Care Act was passed in 2005 and prohibited smoking in all enclosed public spaces and workplaces in Scotland after March 2006. Among the study groups were smokers, people who had quit smoking, and nonsmokers. There was an 18 percent drop in smokers who were admitted to the hospital for ACS; people with a history of smoking had an average 19 percent drop; and the number of cases of ACS among nonsmokers decreased by 21 percent in the first ten months of the ban. 

This information may seem like old news, but findings like these should make a believer out of anyone who doubts the implications of a relationship between smoking and heart disease.

Corie Richter is a nurse and physician's assistant who started her career as a health educator. The survivor of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and partially successful quadruple bypass surgery, she did not let her health challenges hamper her. Neither the limitations of spinal surgery nor of diabetes have deterred her from a mission of service. She now encourages others through writing and speaking engagements to master their disabilities through education and a proactive attitude.