Overview and Aims:

Brazilian women younger than 25 years old have a significant frequency of abnormal cervical cytology results. Once The Brazilian National Healthcare System advocates that screening for cervical cancer should begin after the age of 25 years, we aimed to analyze the frequency of abnormal cervical cytology results in women who are younger than 25 year old compared to women from 25 to 64 years old.

Methods and Population:

This retrospective and observational study analyzed all exams which were performed in medium-sized countryside Brazilian town during 11 years. The prevalence ratio (PR) test was used to assess the possible statistical difference of cytology results in both groups.

Results:

There were 1,185 (3.15%) abnormal cases among women younger than 25. The most frequent lesion among this group was atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (PR 2.29; 95% CI 2.10-2.49) followed by low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion category (PR 4.31; 95% CI 3.66 - 5.06).

Conclusion:

There was a significant frequency of abnormal cervical cytology results in women younger than 25 years old. Nevertheless, the prevalence of true precursor lesions was not associated with this group reinforcing the possible adequacy of current guidelines.

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