Gilbert NDEHDOH1
1Stellenbosch University, South Africa
CaHReF 2018, Yaoundé Congres hall, 08 – 11 January 2019 , OSEP020
Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most devastating conditions that can complicate a pregnancy. Besides limited knowledge of the causes and prevention of cervical cancer, screening programs for cervical cancer have not yet been fully implemented in most low-resource countries such as Cameroon.
Objectif: determine the prevalence, risk factors, and course of preinvasive cervical lesion in pregnant women attending prenatal clinic at Marie Reine Etoudi Medical Institution, Yaounde-Cameroon.
Methodology: A total of 128 consecutive pregnant women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and gave their consent were recruited into the study at the time of their prenatal visit. After obtaining a written informed consent, we verified eligibility, data on demographic and clinical characteristics were collected with the aid of a standardized questionnaire. 3-5ml of whole blood was collected in EDTA tubes under standard conditions. Cervical smear was collected with a wooden Ayer spatula of about 220 mm long. Cervical cytology was done following the Papanicolaou staining technic.
Results: Among the 128 women recruited, the average age was 26.9. The most represented age range was 25-29 (37.5%).
The total number of pregnant women with preinvasive cervical lesion at the time of our study was 17, while those with normal cervical smears were 111.
Early intercourse, number of sexual partners, age at first pregnancy, contraceptive method and parity were some of the risk factors that influence the etiology of preinvasive cervical lesion cervical precancerous lesions was significantly associated with age of the patients, marital status, HIV status, and CD4 cell counts (<0.05).
Conclusion/Recommandation: pregnancy offers an opportunity to provide cervical cancer screening to pregnant women who otherwise might never be screened. Pregnancy is often one of the few circumstances during which young healthy women who are not otherwise under the care of a medical practitioner seek regular medical attention. It therefore poses an opportunity for to provide cervical cancer screening that should not be missed.
Key Words: Preinvasive Cervical Lesions, CD4, Pregnancy, Yaoundé.