Background cervical diseases in Russia

The complicated demographic situation in Russia requires the elimination of any negative factors affecting women's health in order to ultimately increase birth rates. Background cervical diseases are widespread among women, with the highest frequency of their primary diagnosis occurring in young sexually active women. In different female subpopulations of the Russian Federation, background cervical diseases can affect from 10% to 50% of women (depending on the diagnostic method). Moreover, for many nosological units, morbidity indicators are higher before the age of 40 than during perimenopause. Thus, women of childbearing age are at increased risk. Background cervical diseases include erosions, ectopia, ectropion, polyps, leukoplakia, papilloma, etc. Although the term “cervical erosion” is considered outdated, it is still used in domestic publications. However, more often it is replaced by the term “ectopia,” including when reporting morbidity data. It has been noted that the number of ectopia/ectropion and polyps increases during the fertile period, after which (in premenopause) it decreases. The peak diagnosis of leukoplakia occurs in elderly patients (77% of patients with an average age of 61.6±3.5 years). Vaccination against human papillomavirus conducted in some regions of the Russian Federation can significantly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in women, as well as the prevalence of precancerous/background conditions, including cervical papilloma. Nevertheless, no statistical data have been found regarding the prevalence of cervical papilloma in women. Reducing the number of background cervical diseases in women in the Russian Federation should be carried out not only through active screening and treatment but also through risk factor management, reducing and eliminating their impact on a woman's body. The aim of this article is to study the prevalence of background cervical diseases among the female population of the Russian Federation.