Mayo Clinic
REVIEW 439
Abstract
Reviews paper titled "Cigarette Smoking and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome". Reports on paper's position that smoking affects immunoresponse thereby increasing risk of "mainfesting an AIDS-related condition." Opines that "it is likely that there is a positive association between smoking and AIDS because smokers may more often get into a position [drug use and sexual activity] where they are exposed to the virus."
Fields
- Type
- Report
- Company
- British American Tobacco Co.
- Site
- Guildford Depository
- Author
- Lee, Peter N. (TAC Biostatistician)Frequently funded by the tobacco industry to criticize and discount published and epidemiological studies that linked between tobacco smoking and health damage.
- Named Person
- Berger, I.R.
- Named Organization
- Annals of Internal Medicine
- Thesaurus Term
- Industry Consultants
- Research Studies
- Smoking
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Document Images
TK1726
REVIEW 439
CONFIDENTIAL
Sublect ref.
"Clgaret=e Smoking and the Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome"
L.R. Berger
Annals of Internal Medicine (1988), 108, 638
This is the first Indication I have seen in the medical
literature that smoking may increase the risk of AIDS.
The suggested mechanism is by smoking affecting the
immune
response so increesing the chance of manifesting an
AIDS-related
condition.
While ~ am unable to comment on the validity of the
cited
evidence relating smokin~ to the Intmune response or how this would
affect the chance of getting AIDS, I feel that it £s likely tha~
there is a positive association between smoking and AIDS because
smokers may more often geC into a poslClen where they are exposed to
the virus. Smoking is linked with both drug-taking and increased
sexual activity and ~U would not at all surprise me if a study found
that AIDS sufferers are more often smokers than average. Because of
this ~t would need a very careful study =o test the theory postulated
0
BATCh dncllrn~.nt fnr Mgvn Clinic l& l~c~.mh~.r ~NN1
-2-
by Berger. There is an obvious danger, however, that a less than
careful study will in due course be published purporting =o show that
smoking increases the risk of AIDS. This could have big media
impact.
P.N. Lee
20.8.88
BATCo document for Mayo Clinic 14 December 2001
