BACKGROUND

Pre-invasive cervical lesion typically progresses for a considerable amount of time before developing into cervical cancer (CC). Consequently, early detection and treatment of cervical cancer at the pre-invasive stage may be advantageous to the patients and lessen the burden of morbidity and mortality from the disease. Our country has limited studies on Precancerous Cervical Lesions (PCCL).

AIMS

To assess the prevalence and associated factors of precancerous cervical lesions among HIV-positive and negative women in Debre Birhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institutional-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from July/2021 to June/2023 among 522 women attending cervical cancer screening at Debre Birhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. All records during the study period were collected using a structured data extraction checklist. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with pre-cancerous cervical lesions.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions was 8% (95% CI: 5.6-10.5. The prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions in HIV-positive was 5.4% (95% CI: 2.8-.1) and in HIV-negative women 10.7% (95% CI: 5.6-8.1). Women with lifetime sexual partner ≥ 2 (AOR = 3.84, 95% CI: 1.06-3.97), who have a history of STI (AOR = 5.66, 95% CI: 1.50-21.41) and women with age ≥ 45 years (AOR = 4.22, 95% CI: 1.21-14.76) were contributing factors of a PCCL for HIV-positive women. In addition, women with a history of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) (AOR = 6.51, 95% CI: 2.11-0.09) and who have a lifetime sexual partner ≥ 2 (AOR = 8.4, 95% CI: 2.85-4.79) were statistically significant association with pre-cancerous cervical lesion for HIV-negative women.

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions was found to be low in this study relative to the national prevalence. However, strengthening routine screening of women for pre-cancerous cervical lesions and behavioural change communication on risk factors is very important.