title: Cervical cancer screening in a rural population of Zimbabwe.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review cervical cancer screening since its introduction to a rural district hospital in Zimbabwe.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, descriptive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rural district hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 419 cervical smears performed on women who had cervical cancer screening as part of a routine post partum visit from 1994 to 1996 was available for analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rates of abnormal cervical smears.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the patients were of age 20 to 29 years (47.2%) and of low gravidity (Zero to three children) 62.6%). A total of 173 slides (41.3%) were normal. Of the abnormal smears, 158 (37%) had inflammation, and 65 cases (15.5%) demonstrated abnormal cytology of which 50 (12%) were low grade squamous epithelial lesions (atypia/CINI), and the remaining 15 (3.6%) high grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions (CIN II/III and carcinoma in situ).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high frequency of abnormal smears at this rural district hospital. Furthermore, there were problems in sampling the population at highest risk, shortages of supplies, technical problems in sampling and interpretation, and difficulties in follow up of patients. These problems are discussed including the confounding effect of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
authors.affiliation: Salvation Army, Howard Hospital, Glendale, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Thistle
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Chirenje
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012423:Rural Health; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D015030:Zimbabwe