Prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesion among women in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the primary cause of virtually all cervical cancers. Cervical cancer typically develops from precancerous changes, squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) over a period of 10–20 years, in about 5%–10% HPV-infected individuals. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and risk factors of SIL among women in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study was a hospital-based and cross-sectional study that combined the use of a structured questionnaire and analysis of cervical scrapings samples obtained from 276 consenting women in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The samples were analyzed for SIL using conventional Papanicolaou smear. Results: The prevalence rate of 6.2% for SIL was obtained with low-grade SIL being the most common type of cervical abnormality. Sociodemographic factors associated with the development of SIL in the study were marriage type, level of education, and occupation (P ≤ 0.05). The risk factors that were associated to the development of SIL in the study were multiple sexual partners and high parity (P ≤ 0.05). The symptoms associated with SIL were intermenstrual bleeding, dyspareunia, and postcoital bleeding. Conclusion: The prevalence of SIL obtained from this study is appreciable, and this calls for the institution of awareness programs for HPV-associated cervical cancer and the implementation of a routine cervical cancer screening program in Kaduna State, Nigeria.