Pattern of cervical dysplasia among women of reproductive age in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Background : Cervical cancer is a preventable and the most common female genital tract cancer despite the availability of screening services for precancerous lesions of the cervix. This study aims to determine the prevalence of cervical dysplasia in women of reproductive age in Zaria. Methodology: A prospective study of 131 women of child bearing age attending the family planning and Gynaecology clinics in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria - Nigeria were recruited for the study after obtaining their consent. Cervical samples were collected and subjected to pap staining and cytological examination by a pathologist and classified using the Bethesda System. The data were processed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. Bivariate analysis was done and the level of significance was set at a P Results: Cervical dysplasia prevalence of 7.0% was found out of which High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL) was 2.3% (n = 3), Low Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL) was 3.1% (n = 4) and Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASC-US) was 1.6% (n = 2). There were 13% (n = 17) inflammatory features. Normal cytological features for Pap smear testing was present in 77.1% (n = 101). Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of routine screening and early treatment of cervical dysplasia in order to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer.