The Relationship between Age at Coitarche and Cervical Intraepithelial Changes Amongst Women Attending the Gynaecological Clinic at Jos UTH

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between age at coitarche and cervical intraepithelial changes in Jos University Teaching Hospital. This was a cross-sectional study comprising 120 women with abnormal and 120 women with normal Pap smear results selected by systematic sampling after obtaining consent. Data were analysed with Epi-info 3.5.2 statistical software. Chi-square test compared categorical variables, Student’s T-test compared means, while logistic regression was used to assess the interaction between independent and the leading independent variable The level of statistical significance was <0.05. Results show that the average age at coitarche of the study population was 19.7 years. Women with abnormal Pap smears had a lower mean age at coitarche (about 18 years) than those with normal Pap smears (about 21 years), and this was statistically significant (P<0.001). While ASC-US was the most frequent abnormality found (42.4%), HSIL was the least (4.2%). Women who attained coitarche at age less than 18 years were six times more likely to develop an abnormality. It was concluded that the age at coitarche was low and that having sexual debut at a much younger age is an independent risk factor for the development of squamous intraepithelial lesion.