People with HIV more likely to smoke
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* Kim Krisberg

People with HIV are more likely to use tobacco, finds a new study in *The Lancet Global Health*.

Published in June, the study is based on publically available health data on HIV and tobacco use in 28 low- and middle-income countries between 2003 and 2014. Researchers found that overall prevalence of smoking among men with HIV was more than 24 percent; among women with HIV, the smoking rate was just more than 1 percent.

Also overall, HIV-positive men were 41 percent more likely and HIV-positive women 36 percent more likely to use tobacco, including snuff and chewing tobacco, than their HIV-negative peers. For smoking only, HIV-positive men and women were much more likely to smoke than their HIV-negative counterparts.

Researchers noted that numbers for women may be underestimated, as in some countries it can be socially and culturally unacceptable for a woman to admit to using tobacco.

Because of treatment options, HIV patients may only lose about five years of life because of the infection, the researchers said. However, smokers with HIV may lose up to 12 years of life. Therefore, the researchers noted, tobacco use is more than twice as likely to cause death in people with HIV as the infection itself.

“Tobacco use leads to substantial morbidity and mortality among HIV-positive individuals,” the study stated. “Countries with a high prevalence of tobacco use among HIV-positive populations, as highlighted by our study, should prioritize introduction of tobacco cessation in their HIV treatment plans.”

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association