Smokers might end up being HIV+

People who smoke tobacco are more likely to become HIV-infected than those who do not, results of a new study reveals. According to the new study, smoking increases the risk of acquiring HIV, the virus known to cause AIDS.

Cigarette smoking, a leading cause of preventable deaths in the world brings about changes in the immune system of the body, thus, smoking in early HIV disease, may increase risk.

Apart from the already known devastating health effects of smoking like heart attack, respiratory troubles, cancers of lung and mouth, smokers also run a high chance of becoming HIV positive.

Smoking weakens the immune system of the body, thus making it harder to fight off HIV-related infections. Tobacco smoking increases the risk of chronic lung disease for HIV positive smokers. It also interferes with processing of medications by the liver.

Published in the journal 'Sexually Transmitted Infections' the study looked up the link between smoking and HIV. Five out of six studies analyzed, showed smokers had a higher chance of acquiring the HIV virus. The smokers suffered 60 percent higher risk of getting infected.

However, Nine out of ten other studies taken up in the review to assess the progression from HIV to AIDS, revealed no link with smoking.

Dr Andrew Furber,lead researcher at the South East Sheffield Primary Care Trust said, “The studies identified in this systematic review indicate that while smoking might be independently associated with acquiring HIV infection, it does not appear to be related to progression to AIDS.”

Issuing a word of caution, the British doctors said that the HIV must be added to the list of health problems smoking leads to. They also wanted that prevevtion strategies should also focus the risk of HIV.