Many HIV-positive people are required to take drugs on a daily basis in order to improve the duration and quality of their lives. Despite this, many of them continue to smoke a pack of cigarettes per day. How does this make logical sense?
While the dangers of smoking are widely known to anyone who smokes, they are probably even more dangerous for persons living with HIV. We talked to BargainEJuice.ca and discussed how vaping could assist HIV-positive smokers in abandoning their harmful habits.
The Dangers of Smoking for HIV-Positive People
Whether you are taking HIV therapy or not, research has found that smoking, as an independent risk factor, is associated with a 12-year loss of life in people with HIV when compared to non-HIV smokers.
When comparing smoking and non-smoking HIV patients, the gap becomes even more obvious. According to the study, nonsmokers with HIV have a median life expectancy of 78.4 years, which is 16 years longer than smokers with HIV.
In fact, the impact of smoking on those living with HIV is now thought to be significantly more harmful than initially assumed. According to a study conducted by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the rate of lung cancer in the smoking HIV group was nearly double that of the smoking group in general.
How Vaping Helps HIV Patients Quitting Smoking
Cigarette smoking causes a fast release of nicotine into the brain. The immediate effects of nicotine, however, wear off rapidly, as do the accompanying sensations of pleasure, causing smokers to continue smoking.
Nicotine raises dopamine levels in the brain and provides temporary tranquility, which is why smokers often start smoking during times of personal crises. These crises, on the other hand, are all too common in the lives of HIV-positive people. This explains why HIV-positive smokers have a harder time quitting.
Fortunately, alternatives for those who want to quit smoking but don’t want to abandon the nicotine sensation have improved during the last decade. Vaping devices have become widely available, and it is believed that they inflict 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
Because of the great potential to benefit community health, regulators have permitted the marketing of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid. Nonetheless, the impact of switching to e-cigarettes on smoking habits and cardiovascular symptoms in HIV-positive smokers has yet to be studied.
In general population studies, those who transitioned to e-cigarettes had much lower levels of detected carcinogens and tobacco toxicants. At the end of the day, this suggests that vaping may be an alternative for HIV-positive smokers who want to minimize the dangers associated with smoking.
Key Takeaway
In HIV-positive patients, the virus causes chronic inflammation, which leads to an increase in disease rates. Add to that the cost of smoking and its effect on organ systems. It’s simple to see why cigarettes are now regarded as the leading cause of illness among HIV-infected people.
Smoking not only reduces life expectancy in people with HIV, but it also raises the chance of illness and reinfection, according to many studies. Having said that, it is critical to stop smoking as soon as possible and entirely give up the terrible habit.
In contrast, vaping has been shown to be a far safer alternative than smoking cigarettes. If you or someone you know is looking for a way to quit smoking, vaping may be the answer.