Cause of Abnormal Pap Smear
There are various conditions that may be the cause of abnormal pap smear. Pap smear is able to find cervical cells changes related to different infections of the cervix, premalignant and malignant lesions, sexual intercourse, vaginal use of drugs, hormonal changes during menopause etc. In addition, sometimes the result of Pap smear is classified as abnormal by mistake. Usually, patients with an abnormal Pap smear undergo additional diagnostic procedures that are able to provide a more exact diagnosis.
It is hard to say if a person develops a serious disease from just one abnormal Pap smear. Health care providers use various tests, including special blood tests, HPV DNA test, colposcopical examination, biopsy and others, in order to identify the cause of abnormal pap smear. Pap smear results enable the doctor to determine what tests should be performed in each case. It is important to follow medical recommendations if you have an abnormal result of pap smear because it may help to prevent severe health problems.
It is not always possible to clearly define the cause of abnormal pap smear. In such cases, the doctor observes some cells with deviations from the norm, but he doesn’t see well-marked signs of a disease. Cervical cells with deviations from the norm, but without obviously pathological changes, are classified as Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS). Sometimes this condition is linked to an early stage of cervical dysplasia.
A common cause of abnormal pap smear is the fact that the woman has a sexually transmitted infection. Sexually transmitted infections infect genital organs and can be accompanied by various symptoms, like warts, blisters, itching, burning and pain in the genital zone. It should be noted that serious health problems may not entail visible symptoms. For example, HPV infection is able to trigger cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer, but in most cases this infection is asymptomatic.
The doctors define what kind of treatment is necessary after they identify the cause of abnormal pap smear. It is not uncommon that abnormal cellular changes go away on their own. In majority of cases patients having abnormal results need only repeated Pap smears in order to monitor cervical tissues status. If results of Pap smear suggest cervical dysplasia or cancer, the treatment may require surgical removal of diseased tissues. It is much easier to cure the disease when the cause of abnormal pap smear is detected early.
