Pattern of Cervical Cytology in a Tertiary Health Care Centre in Abuja - The Capital City of Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. Its incidence and mortality have reduced drastically in countries with well-established cervical cancer screening programmes. Objectives: To determine the pattern of cervical cytology and associated risk factors in women routinely screened at the Federal Medical Centre Abuja. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from September 2018 to September 2019. An equal number of 270 women each were recruited from the postnatal, family-planning and gynaecological clinics giving a total of 810 women enrolled in the study. Informed consents were obtained from the participants and data on risk assessment was collected using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Afterwards, a cervical sample was taken from each participant’s transformation zone(liquid-based cytology), and results were reported using the Bethesda classification. The data was analysed and presented as tables of frequencies/percentages and central tendencies. The risk factors for cervical dysplasis were determined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05. Results: Overall, the prevalence of abnormal/dysplastic smears was 3.95% while 96.05% had negative smears for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy(NILM). According to the severity of dysplasia, ASCUS had prevalence of 2.96%, ASC-H 0.37%, LSIL 0.37% and HSIL 0.25%. Group specific prevalence was highest among the postnatal group (6.3%). Age was the only factor associated with increased likelihood of developing dysplasia. Conclusions: . The prevalence of cervical dysplacia is relatively low in Federal Medical Centre Abuja. Instituting routine screening of all sexually active women at every opportunity especially in postnatal clinics be encouraged as this will help in early detection of cervical dysplasia and management, thus reducing the incidence of cervical cancer.