THE number of men over 55 suffering heart attacks has dropped after smoking was banned in public places.

This is revealed in a report which looked at the admission records at Noble's Hospital for heart attacks for the two years prior to the smoking ban in public places - which was introduced in March 2008 - and the two years after it.

Howda Jwad, a mathematics student at Northumbria University, did the analysis.

Her report states: "The only specific group who show a significant decrease in the trend of increasing admissions  of myocardial infarction post legislation are males aged 55 and older.

"Before the ban heart attack admissions for males 55 years and over were increasing by an average of 0.14 each month or one every seven months.

"After the legislation was put in place, myocardial admissions, in males 55 years and over, are decreasing by on average 0.17 each month or one every six months.

"This is a reduction of 29 per cent in the trend.

"In the case of females aged 55 and older, there was no change in gradient of the trend detected but there appears to have been an initial drop in admissions in this group but now the rate is back to what it was initially.

"For males younger than the age of 55 there was a negligible reduction in heart attack admissions over time when the regulation was put into place.

"There was an immediate increase that subsequently decreased to a similar rate observed before the legislation. 

"There is insufficient data to observe the effects that occurred to females under 55 years, with only 17 females admitted in four years, rendering any analysis inaccurate."

Health Minister David Anderson MHK said: "It is encouraging to see positive benefits arising out of the Island's anti-tobacco legislation and this finding supports the government in its drive to prevent conditions that negatively impact on health from arising rather than just treating the disease effects of some of our lifestyle habits."

Consultant in Public Health Medicine Dr Paul Emerson said: "There is a lot of good quality evidence linking tobacco smoke with heart attacks and other heart disease, strokes and cancers, including lung cancer.

"Heart attacks are among the top three causes of premature death in the Isle of Man.

"We are pleased to be able to demonstrate a local positive health effect resulting from the tobacco legislation."