Prevalence and Sociodemographic Covariates of Cervical Cancer and Its Association With Menstrual Irregularities:...

Background and objective Menstrual irregularities and sociodemographic factors such as increasing age, Hispanic race, low socioeconomic strata, and low income status are known risk factors for cervical cancer. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of cervical cancer and its association with menstrual irregularities and other known risk factors based on a large nationwide inpatient sample database. Methods We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for the year 2017 and identified cases where cervical cancer and menstrual irregularities are the primary and co-occurring diagnoses using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes. Pearson's chi-square test, independent-sample t-test, and multiple logistic regression were used to generate the analysis. Results A total of 15,800 (0.19%) female weighted admissions between the age group of 18-55 years reported a diagnosis of cervical cancer. Patients with a diagnosis of menstrual irregularity had a statistically significant higher odds of association [odds ratio (OR): 1.582] for being diagnosed with cervical cancer. The odds of association were also high for the Hispanic race [OR: 1.280, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.128-1.453]. The odds of a diagnosis of cervical cancer increased with age, with the highest odds being reported for the age group of 46-55 years (95% CI: 12.107-21.171) and the population with lower median household income, with the highest odds being observed for the lowest interquartile range (95% CI: 1.418-1.892). Conclusion Based on our findings, a diagnosis of menstrual irregularity, the Hispanic race, increasing age, and lower household income are factors that significantly increased the odds of being diagnosed with cervical cancer.