Influence of tobacco consumption on the appearance of cervicovaginal lesions

The gynecological interrogations, clinical impressions and results obtained from 1587 patients who attended the Department of Cellular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, México, for cervicovaginal exfoliative cytology sampling (Papanicolaou) were analyzed. Within the framework of the early cancer detection program from March 2010 to March 2021. From the 1587 patients studied, 302 reported smoking during the gynecological examination. Of the total number of patients with a smoking habit 178 (58.94%) showed cervicovaginal lesions on microscopic observation and/or physical examination. Smoking is considered a predisposing factor in the appearance of cervicovaginal lesions, and there is a need to carry out more detailed studies on the secondary effects of tobacco in patients with an active sexual life and a smoking habit in Mexico.