GENITAL WARTS

OVERVIEW

Genital Warts are one or more painless, soft and gray fleshy growths (cauliflower-like bumps) found in the genital area and anal region in both men and women. It is mainly transmitted through sexual contact with an infected partner and is very contagious. Genital warts are a common viral disease caused by the by the human papilloma virus (HPV).

The viral particles are able to penetrate the skin and mucosal surfaces through microscopic abrasions in the genital area, which occur during sexual activity. Once cells are invaded by HPV, it can take period of months to years to incubate. The human papilloma virus is associated with up to 90 percent of all cervical malignancies and may play a role in cancers of the vagina, anus, vulva and penis.

Signs and Symptoms

Some people carry HPV, but do not have any warts. Genital warts do not appear until two to four weeks after infection and sometimes months pass before the warts become visible; they do not hurt, but can be itchy. A man may not know that he has a wart, because it can be hidden inside the urethral opening. Similarly, a woman can have a wart on the cervix that she does not know about.

In men, genital warts can grow on the penis, near the anus, or between the penis and the scrotum while in women, the warts occur on the lips of the vagina, inside the vagina or around the anus. Women also develop cervical warts, which are flat lesions invisible in their early stages. HPV infection is one of the most common causes of abnormal Pap smear tests.

Diagnosis of Genital Warts

Genital warts are usually diagnosed by direct clinical (visual) examination of the genital area.
In some cases, it is necessary to do a biopsy of cervical tissue. This involves taking a small sample of tissue from the cervix and examining it under the microscope. Sampling cells with a biopsy and testing for HPV genetic material may be necessary to confirm a diagnosis.

Treatment of Genital Warts

There is no cure for HPV, but there are methods to treat visible warts, which could reduce infectivity although at times Genital warts may disappear without treatment. Depending on factors, such as their size and location, genital warts can be treated and it is important that both partners are treated by a doctor. Do not try to treat the warts yourself.

Preventing warts

Just because you can't see warts on your partner doesn't mean he or she doesn't have HPV. Having sex with a partner whose HPV infection is dormant and demonstrates no outward symptoms still leaves one vulnerable to becoming infected.

Using condoms may prevent you from catching HPV from someone who has it. However, condoms can't always cover all of the affected skin.

Risk factors of becoming infected with HPV include:

• No practicing safe sex
• Having unprotected sex with multiple partners
• Having had another sexually transmitted disease
• Having sex with a partner whose sexual history you don't know
• Becoming sexually active at a young age.

Conclusion

Genital warts can grow if you do not get them treated. If you are sexually active, you also risk infecting your partner. Certain kinds of HPV can cause abnormal cells to grow on the cervix. Sometimes, these cells can become cancerous if left untreated. Other kinds of HPV can cause cancer of the vulva, vagina, anus or penis.

If you notice warts in your genital area, see your doctor who will be able to diagnose the warts just by examining you.

For women, a Pap smear test can help detect changes in the cervix.