Cervical dysplasia may be defined as abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix often associated with human papillomavirus infections.(1) You might also hear it referred to as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), or if you have recently had a pap smear, as squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL). Cervical dysplasia is classified into three categories; mild, moderate, and severe, depending on the depth of the changes in the epithelial cells.

It is always good to know what the risk factors are for conditions like cervical dysplasia and there are various risk factors associated with this condition. Studies have indicated that the risk of cervical dysplasia is higher for women with multiple partners, women who's sexual partners are more promiscuous, and women whose first sexual intercourse was at an early age.(2) Other studies have linked the number of sexual partners as a strong risk factor and it has been reported that there may be a link between cigarette smoking and CIN and invasive cervical cancer.(3) In fact, some of these studies have shown a two-fold increased risk for the development of abnormal cells in the cervix among smokers and a relationship with the duration and intensity of smoking.(4)

We have all been reading about how certain nutritional factors may be involved in certain cancers. Reports indicate that nutritional factors have been implicated in 60% of cancers in women and 40% of cancers in men.(5) This leads us to believe that some nutrients may help to protect the cervix from developing abnormal cells. Vitamin A, carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folic acid have been reported to have this protective effect.(6) However, to date it has been difficult to compare these studies because there are so many variations in the methods of measuring the nutrients as well as in how the participants in the studies were selected.

In recent years, there has been a strong link between the risk of cervical dysplasia and some of the various types of human papilloma viruses. More than 90% of cervical cancers contain DNA of the higher risk HPV viruses and that DNA has been found to be present in the early stage lesions of cervical cancer.(7, 8)