HPV symptoms - Human Papilloma Virus Symptoms
Doctors claim that more than 60 percent of sexually active adults are infected with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and it is implicated in cervical cancer.
HPV, or Human Papilloma Virus, causes unsightly warts in various parts of the body, especially around the genitals when it is more commonly known as genital warts. However, the types of HPV that cause warts to grow on hands and feet are not the same as those that form warts in the mouth or in the genital area.
Not all HPV viruses cause warts. Some are sub-clinical, which means the virus lives in the skin without any sign or symptom. This is why many people with HPV do not know they have it. Some forms of HPV can also cause cancers of the vulva in women, the penis in men and head, neck and anal cancers in men and women.
Evidence suggests that HPV is strongly implicated in cervical changes and the development of cervical cancer - the virus was present in 99.7 per cent of tumors taken from 1,000 women with the disease. A test for HPV that could be used to detect cervical cancer is not yet available on the NHS. Meanwhile, it is important for women to maintain regular cervical smear tests. In the UK this test is offered to all women every three five years, from the ages of about 18, or two years after first sexual intercourse, to age 65.
Many women discover they are infected only after they've had a cervical smear test done. During your examination, your doctor may use a lighted magnifying lens called a colposcope to find small warts. Sometimes an acidic, vinegar-like solution, which causes abnormal tissue to turn white, is applied to the genitals. This is not painful and it makes it easier to see areas of infection.
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HPV symptoms - What are the symptoms of HPV?
Some types of HPV cause genital warts. Genital warts are growths or bumps that appear on the vulva, in or around the vagina or anus, on the cervix, or on the penis, scrotum, groin (where the genital area meets the inner thigh). They may be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large.
Sometimes HPV causes very tiny changes on the skin that can't be seen with the naked eye. Doctors and nurses can find these "microscopic warts" only with the help of special instruments that magnify (make larger) these small HPV lesions. This is called "sub clinical" HPV infection. When HPV lives in the skin without causing any warts or other skin changes, this is called latent HPV infection. Sub clinical and latent HPV infection are more common than visible genital warts.
HPV symptoms - You should go to a doctor or clinic if:
- You notice any unusual growths, bumps or skin changes on or near your penis, vagina, vulva, or anus
- You notice any unusual itching, pain or bleeding
- Your sex partner(s) tells you that he or she has genital HPV or genital warts.
Credit: Yahoo Health
