What is Cervical Dysplasia and how it affect you
The term dys means abnormal, while plasia means growth. Cervical dysplasia means abnormal growth of cervical cells. Cervical dysplasia is also called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, or CIN. Dysplasia is not cancer, but it can develop into cancer of the cervix. Cervical dysplasia is classified as either Mild (CIN I), Moderate (CIN II), or Severe (CIN II or Carcinoma-in-situ). Linked to a sexually transmitted disease caused by some strains of a wart virus, called the human papillomavirus (HPV), it is more common in women who have many sex partners or who began to have intercourse before age 18. Cervical dysplasia has also been associated with cigarette smoking and too little folic acid in the diet. It rarely has any symptoms and the first clues of it’s presence is when a Pap Smear result is abnormal. The definitive diagnosis is made by biopsies (small pieces of tissue taken from the body and looked at under a microscope). The biopsies are done during a procedure called a Colposcopy (Please see the Colposcopy Page for more information about the procedure). Most often found in women between 25 and 35 years of age, it can occur in younger and older women.
Signs and Symptoms
Cervical dysplasia often produces no symptoms and is usually discovered during an annual Pap smear.
Occasional signs and symptoms of the condition can include:
Genital warts
Abnormal bleeding
Spotting after intercourse
Vaginal discharge
Low back pain
It is important to note that these symptoms are not unique to cervical dysplasia and they may indicate a different problem. If you are experiencing any of these signs or symptoms, you should see your physician for an accurate diagnosis.
Causes
The precise cause of cervical dysplasia is not known. Studies have found a strong association between cervical dysplasia and infection with human papilloma virus (HPV), but additional factors (still unknown) must also be at play in order for cervical cells to change and become precancerous.
Risk Factors
The following may increase an individual’s risk for developing cervical dysplasia:
Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection
Genital warts
Smoking
Early onset of sexual activity (younger than 18 years old)
Multiple sexual partners
Having a partner whose former partner had cervical cancer
History of one or more sexually transmitted diseases, such as genital herpes or HIV
Having suppressed immune function from, for example, HIV or the use of chemotherapeutic medications to treat cancer
Long-term use (5 or more years) of birth control pills
Being born to a mother who took diethylstilbestrol (DES) to become pregnant or to sustain pregnancy (this drug was used many years ago to promote pregnancy but it is no longer used for these purposes)
Low levels of folate (vitamin B9) in red blood cells
Dietary deficiencies in vitamin A, beta-carotene, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C (scientific data are not entirely conclusive at this time, see section on Nutrition and Dietary Supplements)
Image courtesy of Medscape.com
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