Genital warts are caused by specific strains of the Human Papilloma Virus. Between 500,000 and one million new cases of genital warts occur every year.
Common symptoms
Warts on the genitals, in the urethra, in the anus and rarely in the throat
Genital warts are flesh colored and soft to the touch. They may look like miniature cauliflower florets.
Genital warts are usually painless but they may itch.
Usually genital warts grow in more than one place and may cluster in larger masses.
Untreated genital warts can grow to block the openings of the vagina, anus or throat and become quite uncomfortable.
Symptoms of genital warts usually occur 3 weeks to 6 months after infection. However, it can take up to a year for an individual to have any visible symptoms. Remember, a woman may have genital warts in the vaginal tract and on the cervix.
Genital warts often grow more rapidly during pregnancy or when an individual's immune system is weakened by:
Diabetes
HIV/AIDS
Chemotherapy
Hodgkin's disease
Taking anti-rejection drugs
How genital warts are spread
Vaginal, anal or oral intercourse spread genital warts
Very rarely, genital warts spread to the fetus during childbirth
Diagnosis
Only clinicians can correctly diagnose genital warts.
Microscopic examination of tissue samples: A new test, Hybrid Capture, can detect very small amounts of the genital wart virus in fluid or tissue samples.
Clinical evaluation of warts during a physical or gynecological exam
Special magnifiers (colposcopes) can detect genital warts that cannot be seen with the naked eye on the cervix or in the vaginal tract.
Pap test may reveal pre-cancerous conditions caused by genital warts. Early treatment will prevent cervical cancer.
Treatment
There is no cure for Genital Warts. The symptoms can be treated in the following ways.
Application of podophyllin or acid
Standard surgery
Laser surgery (vaporizing the wart with a beam of high-powered light)
Cryosurgery (freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen)
Injection of interferon
Prevention and protection
Abstinence
Condoms and other forms of latex offer some protection against genital warts though the virus may shed beyond the area protected by the latex
Smokers more than non-smokers are more likely to develop genital warts. If infected, smokers have more reoccurrences of the genital warts.
Hudson Health Center Athens, Ohio 45701 T: (740) 593-1660
