Heart attacks and other acute coronary events declined in Italy after a comprehensive indoor-smoking ban went into effect in 2005, Science Daily reported Feb. 12.

Researchers who compared health data from 2000-04 to that gathered for 2005 -- when the ban took effect -- found that acute coronary events declined 11.2 percent among those ages 25-64 and 7.9 percent among those ages 65-74 after indoor smoking was prohibited.

The authors controlled for factors such as temperature, air pollution, and flu epidemics. During the study period, smoking also declined among men and women, and cigarette sales in Italy fell 5.5 percent.

There was no change in acute coronary events among 75- to 84-year-olds, however. "The older age group spends more time at home than in the workplace or public businesses," noted researcher Giulia Cesaroni of the Department of Epidemiology in Rome. "The smoking ban has a greater effect on those of working age and those who spend a lot of their time in public places."

The study was reported in the February 2008 issue of the journal Circulation.