For AIDS Service Organizations and HIV Clinics
The Issue and Why It’s Important
In Ontario, people living with HIV are much more likely to smoke.
Smoking is a serious health threat for people living with HIV. Even with well-monitored HIV care, smokers with HIV lose more life years to smoking than to HIV itself. They are more likely to develop non-AIDS related diseases such as pneumonia, lung cancer, and pneumothorax than people with HIV who don’t smoke. People with HIV who smoke cigarettes are also less likely to adhere to their antiretroviral treatment.
Smokers in the OHTN Cohort Study are more likely to have health issues |
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---|---|---|
Health Issue | Smokers (1,527) | Non-smokers (2,263) |
Low CD4 (< 200 cells) | 12% | 8% |
Detectable viral Load | 34% | 24% |
Diagnosed with Hep C (ever) | 27% | 9% |
The Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study (OCS) is an ongoing research study that collects clinical, social and behavioural information about people living with HIV in Ontario. |