Background Infectious diseases may rival cancer, heart disease, and chronic lung disease
as sources of morbidity and mortality from smoking. We reviewed mechanisms by which
smoking increases the risk of infection and the epidemiology of smoking-related infection,
and delineated implications of this increased risk of infection among cigarette smokers.
Methods The MEDLINE database was searched for articles on the mechanisms and
epidemiology of smoking-related infectious diseases. English-language articles and …