PRESENTATION OF VITAMIN D AND FOLATE SERUM LEVELS IN HISTOLOGICALLY VERIFIED CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL LESIONS IN WOMEN

Background Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection and main cause of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in women of reproductive age, so it is very important to prevent HPV infection and its persistence. Objective Due to the increased interest in the role of nutrition in prevention of cervical cancer and the overall health burden of HPV infection, we have investigated the HPV status, BMI, smoking habits, and the levels of vitamin D and folate in women with histologically verified cervical intraepithelial lesions and in those with normal findings. Methods 188 women were included in this prospective study and they were divided into 2 groups. The examined group included 107 women and a control group of 81 women. Results Between the groups, a statistically significant difference was obtained in the levels of vitamin D and folate; however, for both micronutrients, the average value of the serum levels was lower in the studied group. Comparing the individual subgroups in the studied population, there are no significant differences, neither in the level of vitamin D nor in folate. Conclusion According to the results obtained in our research, we can conclude that higher levels of vitamin D and folate are associated with a lower risk of cervical intraepithelial lesions. Patients with histopathologically verified intraepithelial lesions have significantly lower concentrations of vitamin D and folate.