Cervical dysplasia: assessment and risk factors among women attending the Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq

Background and objective: Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer in the world. It is the commonest cause of female cancer deaths in South-East Asia and Africa and accounts for 15% of all female cancers in developing countries. the aims of this study was to determine the frequency of abnormal cervical cytology among women underwent Pap smear and assess for the presence of risk factors related to abnormal Pap smear results. Methods: A hospital-based cross sectional study, using a questionnaire and involved 2,146 women at the Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil city from January to December 2009. All Pap smears cytological examinations were conducted using Bethesda classification system. Results: Histological reports were found to be normal in 88.4% of women; meanwhile, 248 (11.6%) women had abnormal cytological findings with a mean age of 36.84 years, significantly older than those with normal results (p <0.05). The duration of marriage was also found to be significantly longer among those with abnormal Pap smear (18.34 years versus 15.72 years, (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study was able to indicate that during reproductive life, the older ages of women and longer duration of marriage were associated with an increased risk of abnormal Pap smear results.