A study comparing cervical cytology results from a genitourinary medicine department with those of two other local populations.

A retrospective study compared one year's cervical smear results from 4920 women from the following 3 populations in Leicestershire; the Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) Departments; the city family planning clinic (FPC); and a general practice (GP) in a local University town. The results were standardized for age by logistic regression. Cytological abnormality was divided into: dyskaryosis (all grades), borderline, and inflammatory changes. The GUM attenders had an excess of total cervical smear abnormalities compared to both the FPC (P < 0.001) and GP population (P < 0.001) after adjusting for age. The FPC and GP rates of smear abnormality were similar at 60 and 63 per 1000 women screened, respectively, while the rate for the GUM clinic was 155 per 1000 women screened.