Rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—including emphysema and chronic bronchitis—as well as lung cancer are increasing sharply among people living with HIV. In fact, the risk of these serious, sometimes fatal, lung diseases appears to be even higher among HIV-positive people compared with people not infected with the virus.

High rates of smoking—some studies suggest people living with HIV are twice as likely to smoke compared with people not infected with the virus—may account for the higher risk. But research also suggests that HIV disease itself increases the likelihood of lung disease, most likely because of immune system inflammation from responding to the ever-present virus. Whereas COPD usually affects HIV-negative men and women in their 50s and 60s, it is being diagnosed in people living with HIV at considerably younger ages.

In this AIDSmeds lesson, we take a look at some tried and true ways to reduce the risk of lung disease. And for those who have been diagnosed with COPD, lung cancer or another serious respiratory problem, these tips are equally valid.