Scientist have found a drop in emergency admissions to hospital for asthma patients since the smoking ban came into force.

Researchers from the University of  Bath found the number of visits for patients who required urgent treatment dropped by almost 2,000 in the first year of the ban. They continued to fall for the next two
years, leading to a total drop of almost 6,000 admissions in hospitals for those aged 16 and over. Experts from the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies examined the number of emergency admissions for asthma from April 1997 to December 2010.

The Health Act made it illegal to smoke in enclosed public places and workplaces in England from July 1 2007, after similar bans had already been introduced in Scotland and Wales. Dr Michelle Sims, first author of the University of Bath paper, said the research showed the benefits of the law. She said:

“There is already evidence that smoke-free legislation in England is associated with reductions in secondhand smoke exposure among non-smoking adults and fewer emergency hospital admissions for heart attacks and childhood asthma. Our findings show that these health benefits extend to adult asthma."

In the Department of Health-funded study, published in the journal Thorax, researchers examined monthly numbers of emergency admissions for asthma between 1997 to 2010. They compared the data to rates recorded in the 10 years before the introduction of the smoking ban. After taking into account trends in admissions and variations of other factors such as seasonal flu and temperature, they discovered a drop of 4.9 per cent. England currently has one of the highest rates of asthma in the world, with around 5.9 per cent of the population diagnosed with the condition.

Prof Anna Gilmore, who led the study, added: “Our findings add to the expanding body of evidence that smoke-free policies are associated with positive health outcomes.”

The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday 16, April 2013