Tobacco.org

• Systematic review suggests smoking increases HIV infection risk 

A systematic review published online ahead of print publication in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections suggests that smoking appears to be associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection. However, although the review also suggests that smoking does not appear to be related to progression to AIDS, the authors point out several important limitations to their headline conclusions, including the fact that all of the studies examining the effects of smoking on HIV disease progression took place in the developed world prior to the widespread availability of potent antiretroviral therapy.

Smoking tobacco is known to be associated with immunological changes and an increased risk for certain infections in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive individuals, including the sexually transmitted infection (STI), human papilloma virus (HPV) , which is associated with genital and anal warts and cervical and anal cancer.

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