Human papillomavirus is responsible for a sexually transmitted infection of the same name. Most people who are sexually active have it at some stage in life.
About 79 million people in the United States have human papillomavirus (HPV). And doctors diagnose about 14 million new cases every year.
There are various forms of human papillomavirus (HPV), and some may raise cancer risk. Around 19,400 females and 12,100 males grow cancers from human papillomavirus (HPV) last year in the United States.
This article will tell you what human papillomavirus (HPV) is, how it spreads. It will also tell what symptoms it induces and how to treat it.
What is human papillomavirus infection?
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection transmitted by people through skin-to-skin contact. Sexual contact spreads about 100 varieties of human papillomavirus (HPV). And it may affect the genitals, mouth, or throat.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common sexually transmitted infection is human papillomavirus (HPV).
It’s so common for most sexually active people to get some kind of it at some point. It is true even though they have few sexual partners.
Any cases of human genital papillomavirus (HPV) infection do not cause any health issues. However, some forms of human papillomavirus (HPV) may lead to genital warts. And it may even cause cancers of the cervix, anus, and throat.
How does human papillomavirus (HPV) spread?
You may have HPV from having vaginal, genital, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It is most usually transmitted by vaginal or anal intercourse. Human papillomavirus (HPV) may be spread even though the infected person has no signs or symptoms.
Anyone sexually active may have HPV even though you have sex with only one person. You can also develop symptoms years after you have sex with someone infected. This makes it difficult to know when you got infected first.
Symptoms
In most cases, the body’s immune system defeats HPV infection before it develops warts. When warts appear, their presence varies depending on the form of human papillomavirus (HPV) involved:
- Genital warts. These occur as flat lesions, thin cauliflower-like bumps, or tiny stem-like protrusions. In women, genital warts appear on the vulva and occur near the anus, cervix, or vagina. Genital warts occur in men on the penis and scrotum or around the anus. Genital warts rarely cause irritation or pain, though they may have itching or tenderness.
- Common warts. Common warts tend to be rough, raised bumps, and it generally occurs on your hands and fingers. In most situations, common warts are simply unsightly. But they may also be painful or vulnerable to injury or bleeding.
- Plantar Warts. Plantar warts are hard, grainy growths that usually occur on the heels or balls of your legs. These warts can cause discomfort.
- Flat warts. Flat warts are flat, slightly raised tumours. They can appear anywhere, but children typically get them in the face, and men prefer to get them in the beard area. Women tend to have them on their legs.
Causes
HPV infection occurs as the virus enters the body, usually from a cut, or minor tear in the skin. Skin-to-skin contact mainly spreads the virus.
Sexual intercourse, anal sex, and skin-to-skin contact in the genital area cause Genital human papillomavirus infections. Some HPV infections that result in oral or upper respiratory lesions are the result of oral sex.
If you are pregnant and have HPV infection with genital warts, then this can affect the baby. Rarely, the infection can cause cancerous development in the child’s voice box (larynx).
Warts are infectious. They can spread by direct contact with warts.
Risk Factors
Human infections with papillomavirus (HPV) are common. Risk factors for infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) include:
- The number of sex partners. The more sexual partners you have. The more likely you will get infected with genital human papillomavirus (HPV). Having sex with a partner who has had multiple sex partners would also increase your risk.
- Age. Common warts typically occur in children. Genital warts are most common in teenagers and young adults.
- Weakened immune systems. People who have weakened immune systems have an increased risk of human papillomavirus infections. HIV/AIDS or immune system suppression drugs used during organ transplantation can damage immune systems.
- Damaged skin. Punctured or opened areas of skin are more likely to grow common warts.
- Personal contact. Touching surfaces that have been exposed to human papillomaviruses (HPV) may increase the risk of human papillomavirus infection.
Diagnosis
Your doctor might be able to detect human papillomavirus infection by looking at your warts.
If genital warts are not visible, you may require one or more of the following tests:
- Vinegar (acetic acid) solution test. The vinegar solution applied to HPV infected genital areas makes it white. This can help in the detection of difficult-to-see flat lesions.
- Pap test. Your doctor will extract a sample of cells from your cervix or vagina for laboratory study. Pap tests can show abnormalities that can lead to cancer.
- DNA test. This test, performed on the cervix cells, can detect the DNA of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) variants that have been connected to genital cancers. In addition to the Pap test, doctors recommend it for women 30 and older.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Treatments
Most human papillomavirus (HPV) forms go out independently. Thus, the infection itself is not treated. Instead, the doctor would likely want you to come back for a repeat examination in a year. The aim is to see whether human papillomavirus infection persists. And the doctor will also check if any cell changes require further follow-up.
Prescription medicine, electrical current burning, or liquid nitrogen freezing may treat Genital warts. But, getting rid of physical warts doesn’t treat the virus itself, and warts can return.
Doctors can remove precancerous cells with a short procedure. Chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or surgery can treat cancers that develop from human papillomavirus (HPV). Doctors can use multiple methods.
No medically-supported natural therapies for HPV infection are currently available.
Routine screening for human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer is essential for detecting, monitoring, and treating health conditions that may arise from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Prevention
To reduce the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) contracting, an individual can:
- Get the vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV).
- Use barrier protection every time they have sex with each other.
- Restrict the number of intimate partners.
- Do not have sex when genital warts are present.
- To help prevent the spread of warts:
- Stop unnecessarily touching the wart.
- Stop shaving the wart.
- Use footwear in public places, such as swimming pools and dressing rooms, if warts are on the feet.
- Treat and cover the wart until the wart disappears.
- Do not exchange towels and other personal products.
The Bottom Line
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STD, so it’s not a big deal most of the time. It usually goes out on its own. And most people don’t even know the human papillomavirus (HPV) has ever existed. Remember that most people who have sex have human papillomavirus (HPV) at some time in their lives. You don’t need to be ashamed or nervous.
