The Role of Socio-Demographic Factors in HPV Infection

Aim. Infections caused by highly oncogenic HPV types can persist in the human body, which increases the risk of developing severe cervical lesions with their subsequent progression to invasive cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the socio-demographic characteristics of patients with precancerous diseases of the cervix and analyze the relationship between HPV infections and cervical precancerous diseases. Materials and methods. Data on the cervix and HPV infections were collected from 402 women included in the scientific project «National Program for the Study of HPV with the Development of an Integrated Approach to Effective Diagnosis and Treatment of Precancerous Conditions» between 2024 and 2026. The study is being conducted within the framework of program-targeted funding from the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Results and discussion. The average age of women in our study with a positive HPV test result was 33.08±6.62 years. Among women infected with HPV, every third woman was not married – 31.2%, the divorce rate is 12.8%. The barrier method of contraception is used in 33.8% of sample population. Furthermore, among HPV-infected women the usage of barrier contraception is 1.2 times higher. HPV-16 and HPV-52 were the most common types in patients with both normal and abnormal cytology. Mild and severe dysplasia were more frequently observed in HPV types 16, 33, 52, and 58. Conclusion. Socio-demographic factors such as age and marital status have a significant impact on the risk of HPV infection. Young women and unmarried women, women with full-day work hours have a higher level of infection.