Smoking & Tobacco Use

Studies over the past decade suggest that gay men smoke at higher rates than men in the general U.S. population. This puts gay and bisexual men at high risk for smoking-related illness. If you smoke, you may have higher rates of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive lung diseases. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits for you and your loved ones.

Smoking and HIV

Smoking is a serious health threat for everyone, but it’s especially dangerous for people living with HIV. Smoking raises your chances for getting heart disease, cancer, serious lung diseases and infections such as pneumonia, and other illnesses. People with HIV are more likely to get these harmful consequences of smoking than those without HIV.

Quitting smoking can help people with HIV have a better quality of life and fewer HIV-related symptoms. When you quit, your risk goes down for many serious illnesses, including heart attacks and pneumonia.

Find out more about smoking and HIV from the Tips from Former Smokers Campaign.

For support in quitting, visit CDC’s How to Quit page.

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