Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to get respiratory infections of all types. And when they do get respiratory infections, they often get sicker than nonsmokers do.
just the facts
in one outbreak of the flu among a group of men in a military unit, 68% of the smokers got sick, but only 47% of the nonsmokers did.
(1)
Sources 1. Blake GH, Abell TD, Stanley WG. Cigarette smoking and upper respiratory infection among recruits in basic combat training. Annals of Internal Medicine 1988;109:198-202.
definition
Many diseases of the respiratory system are infections; this means that they are caused by germs, such as bacteria or viruses. Examples of respiratory infections include colds, influenza (the flu), pneumonia, and tuberculosis.
explanation
Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to get all of these respiratory infections. For example, in one outbreak of the flu among a group of men in a military unit, 68% of the smokers got sick, but only 47% of the nonsmokers did.
(1)
When smokers get respiratory infections, they often get sicker than nonsmokers do. Both pneumonia and tuberculosis are more likely to be fatal in smokers than in nonsmokers.
