Study of Clinical Significance of Pap Smear in STD Clinics

Abstract

AIMThe objective of this study is to analyse the association between sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cytology by doing Papanicolaou (Pap) smear in the female patients attending Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinics. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe present study was carried out on 200 female patients attending STD clinic Outpatient Department (OPD) in King George Hospital (KGH) for a period of 2 years. For all the patients Pap smears were taken. RESULTSA 39% of the cases had normal cytology, 26% had inflammatory cytology, 16% had mild dysplasia, 13.5% had moderate dysplasia, 5.5% had severe dysplasia. Higher incidence of cervical dysplasia was seen in patients with Genital Herpes and Genital warts. Higher incidence of cervical dysplasia (42.6%) in 20 to 30 years age group women in comparsion with diminished incidence in (28.7%) in 30 to 40 years age group. A 44.6% in Commercial Sex workers and women with history of sexual promiscuity had cervical dysplasia and 28.7% women having normal marital life had cervical dysplasia. We found higher number of cervical dysplasia in lower income group (37.8%) and (42.6%) in illiterates. CONCLUSIONSPap smear should be done as a routine screening procedure in all female patients attending STD Clinics to detect early cervical neoplasia, which will help to reduce morbidity and mortality due to cancer cervix in sexually active reproductive age group women.