Smoking and Influenza

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 maybe because smoking suppresses immune function. Smoking increases the severity of influenza symptoms and it is recommended that smoking be quit as a preventive measure for influenza. Some research studies show an increase in influenza infections among smokers compared to nonsmokers. There is a higher mortality rate for smokers than nonsmokers from influenza

Smoking increases the likelihood of healthy adults getting influenza and smokers who get the flu are at higher risk for more serious complications. When the lungs are already being injured by smoking, it is more difficult for them to fight off respiratory illnesses such as the flu.

It has been found that in the young, healthy population; twenty-five percent of all severe illness from influenza can be attributable to smoking. In widespread influenza outbreaks, smoking contributes substantially to severe illness.

Influenza is an acute viral disease of the respiratory tract. The virus is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing. Typical flu symptoms include fever, headache, extreme fatigue, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu in a typical year, 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications, and about 36,000 Americans die on average each year from flu complications