Study: Smoking Effects Lifespan in HIV Patients More Than the Virus Itself

Cigarette smoking may be more dangerous to individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than the virus itself, according to the results of a recent study.

Previous research has established the health risks of smoking, but the effects of smoking on life expectancy in individuals with HIV are less understood.

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To further explore this relationship, researchers used epidemiologic data to create a computer simulation calculating average lifespans of individuals with HIV who were current, former, or never smokers.

Overall, they found that for a 40-year-old person receiving care for HIV but who does not follow recommended treatment—as is often the case—smoking could shorten their expected lifespan by 6 or more years, compared with a nonsmoker also not perfectly following treatment. In those adhering to anti-HIV treatment, smoking could shorten lifespans by more than 8 years, which is roughly double the effect of HIV itself, compared nonsmokers who follow treatment recommendations. Quitting smoking was associated with a reverse in a significant amount of lost lifespan, especially at younger ages.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Reddy KP et al. Impact of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on life expectancy among people with HIV: A US-based modeling study [published online November 3, 2016]. J Infect Dis. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiw430.