Pre-cancerous cervical lesions among women in Bauchi: A crosssectional study.

Background: Cervical cancer is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in low Human Development Index (HDI) countries where organized cervical cancer screening is often lacking. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of cervical precancerous lesions in Bauchi, Nigeria. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out in selected hospitals in the 3 senatorial zones of Bauchi State. Sociodemographic and reproductive data were collected using a data collection tool, and cervical smears were collected and stained using a manual liquid-based cytology (LBC) method. Results: Out of 458 women who underwent screening, 410 (89.5%) of the participants had a negative smear. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) were the most common diagnostic categories of abnormal smears, together accounting for 78.9% of abnormal pap smear results. The chances of developing cervical precancerous lesions were higher in women <35 years (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant association between precancerous lesions and age at sexual debut or marital status (p>0.05). Conclusion: There is a need to implement organized state-wide screening programmes within the state to improve detection rates of cervical pre-cancerous lesions and eventually a reduction in cervical cancer mortality and morbidity statistics in the country.