Cytological screening for cervical cancer and human papillomavirus in general practice.

In a retrospective study of cervical screening in a general practice in Birmingham 156 out of 1913 smears taken over three years showed some abnormality. Smears from 65 women showed severe non-specific inflammation, and 91 women had various grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, of whom 53 were aged under 30 and 13 over 40. Of 35 women with clinical evidence of human papillomavirus, 21 had normal results on cervical testing and 14 abnormal results. The incidence of genital warts among sexually active young people is growing, but the association of human papillomavirus with abnormal cervical smears is not clear. The efficacy of screening in the United Kingdom must be improved by actively encouraging younger patients to attend for regular screening.