Abstract:
Background: Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) frequently causes precancerous cervical lesions and cancer in women; it can be screened for and treated easily if diagnosed early and before turning into invasive cancer.
Objective: to assess magnitude of precancerous cervical lesion and its associated factors among HIV-positive reproductive age women attending antiretroviral therapy at Public Health Facilities in Ambo town, Ethiopia , 2023
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 01-August 30, 2023. A total of 402 HIV-positive women were recruited by systematic random sampling. Data was collected by face-to-face exit interviews and medical record reviews. Additionally, VIA was done for all participants to detect precancerous cervical lesions. Data was coded and entered into Epi data version 3.1, and then exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), version 25 for analysis. Bivariable logistic regression analysis was done for each independent variable and variables with p-values ≤0.25 were considered as candidate variables for multivariable logistic regression to control for confounders. In multivariable logistic regression; adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with their corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) was used to assess the strength of the associations between dependent and associated factors variables at p-value <0.05 to declare significance.
Results: A total of 402 women were participated in the study with a response rate of 100%. The Magnitude of precancerous cervical lesions among women screened for cervical cancer was 21.9% (95% CI: 18.1%–26.2%). STI history (AOR=0.12, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.32), postcoietal bleeding (AOR=0.11, 95%CI: 0.03, 0.37) and history of abortion (AOR=0.04, 95%CI: 0.03, 0.1) were significantly associated with precancerous cervical cancer lesion.
Conclusion and recommendations: The prevalence of precancerous cervical cancer lesion among HIV infected women in Ambo town was high as compared with other studies. History of STI, post-coital bleeding, and history of abortion were factors that were significantly associated with precancerous cervical cancer lesion. Scaling up the limited screening and treatment centers is required to increase access of all HIV infected women to the service
