FREQUENCY OF ABNORMAL PAP SMEAR AND ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS FOR CERVICAL CANCER IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINIC

Abstract

Objective:

To estimate the frequency of abnormal Pap smear and assessment of risk factors for cervicalcancer in an out-patient clinic of a tertiary care hospital

Study Design:

A cross sectional study

Patients and Methods:

All married female patients attending the preventive health check up (familymedicine) clinics, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from December 2004 to April 2005 for generalcheckups and had Pap smear after informed consent, were included. Data were collected through a structuredquestionnaire administered to all participants and double entered in EPIDATA and analyzed in SPSS.Frequencies of all variables were generated. Means with standard deviations and ranges were also calculatedfor quantitative variables.

Results:

A total of 103 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 45.8 ± 10.7 years. Half of the studypopulation were menstruating at the time of interview. Mean age at marriage was 21.4 ±4.57 years. Meanage at first pregnancy was 22.6_± 4.4 years. A minority ofhusbands (2.9%) were uncircumcised. About onethird (30.8%) of patients had at least four full term deliveries while the mean number of deliveries were 3.3± 2.0 years. More than one third (36.9%) were practicing contraception, with 5% using oral contraceptivepills and the rest using barrier methods. 

Conclusion:

The most frequent abnormality found in Pap smear study was infective bacillary back ground.None of the patients had any pre-cancerous or active cervical cancer. The study was limited by small samplesize and choice of Pap smear by the elite class population with self referral for general health checkup.