Influence of psychoactive substance use and sexually transmitted infections on the cervical cytology

Abstract

The introduction addresses the societal stigma surrounding psychoactive substance abuse and its implications for women’s health, particularly concerning cervical health. It sets the context for the study by highlighting the need to understand the impact of substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on cervical health. Purpose - to investigate the effects of psychoactive substance abuse and concurrent STIs on the health of the cervix in women. The study seeks to identify correlations between substance abuse, STIs, and cervical pathologies, providing valuable insights for healthcare strategies. Materials and methods. The study involved a sample of 160 women divided into groups based on their use of psychoactive substances and the presence of STIs. Cervical cytological smears were collected and analysed using Romanowsky-Giemsa and Papanicolaou staining methods. This approach aimed to detect and categorize any cellular abnormalities in the cervical epithelium. Results. The findings revealed a significant correlation between the abuse of psychoactive substances and the frequency of squamous cell abnormalities in the cervix, especially in those with concurrent STIs. Conditions like koilocytosis and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) were notably prevalent among substance abusers, indicating an increased risk for cervical dysplasia and potential progression to cervical cancer. Conclusions. The study concludes that psychoactive substance abuse, particularly in combination with STIs, significantly increases the risk of cervical pathologies in women. This underscores the necessity for enhanced cervical cancer screening and prevention strategies targeted at women who abuse psychoactive substances. The findings highlight the importance of addressing substance abuse and STIs in women’s health programs and public health initiatives, especially in high-risk groups. The study protocol was approved by the Local ethics committees of the institutions mentioned in the paper. An informed parental consent was obtained for the study in women. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.