People Living With HIV

Smoking rates among persons living with HIV, which is the virus that can cause AIDS, are much higher than among persons without HIV.

• In 2014, among adults with HIV in medical care, 33.6% were current cigarette smokers.^*
• People living with HIV are also less likely to quit smoking than the general population.^†

If you have HIV, smoking cigarettes is especially dangerous to your health. If you smoke:

• You’re more likely to develop the harmful consequences of smoking than people without HIV. These illnesses include cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
• You’re more likely to develop HIV-related infections than a nonsmoker with HIV. These illnesses include thrush (a mouth infection) and Pneumocystis pneumonia (a lung infection).
• For people whose HIV is effectively treated, smoking cigarettes is the main contributor to preventable risk of illness and death.

Learn what percent of people currently smoke cigarettes, both in the United States overall and among specific populations.

*Trends in cigarette smoking among adults with HIV compared with the general adult population, United States – 2009–2014, Preventative Medicine, 2018.

†Behavioral and Clinical Characteristics of Persons Receiving Medical Care for HIV Infection — Medical Monitoring Project, United States, 2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2014.