The prevalence of smoking cigarettes among HIV-infected patients after a decade. Single-center analysis.

Objectives: Smoking habit is known to be a risk factor for the development of multiple diseases and conditions, premature death, and worse quality of life. The prevalence of smoking in PLWH is 2-3 times higher than in the general population. The study aimed to evaluate how the prevalence of smoking has changed among PLWH over the past decade.

Methods: The data of n=204 PLWH hospitalized from November 2018 to November 2019 was analyzed. All patients filled out the survey including age, gender, the number of cigarettes smoked, the number of years as a smoker, and the impact of HIV diagnosis on the number of cigarettes smoked. The data was compared to a similar analysis performed in our department in 2009.

Results: The study showed a decrease in the prevalence of smoking among PLWH over the past decade. In comparison to 2009, a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in the number of smoking individuals among ever and never smokers was observed both in males and in females.

Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking cigarettes among PLWH in our department has significantly decreased since 2009 but remains much higher than in the general population. Smoking cessation interventions provided by HIV care professionals are necessary and should be continued among PLWH.