Terrier McD:
Welcome to the balcony. Now that you've survived the beasting, maybe I can offer some help, safe in the knowledge that as long as you're watching FR24 we can be sure that you're not setting fire to mosques, running off to France with a schoolgirl or aiming laser beams at pilots on final approach.
I seem to remember reading recently that 75% of these 7700 squawks are for medical emergencies and from my own experience, I'd say this was pretty accurate. What I have noticed is that there are a lot more than say 10 years ago. I have no idea why this should be, but I can't help wondering whether airlines are looking ever more closely at this, because the costs and inconvenience involved are considerable.