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Wart virus
Genital warts, caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), are the most common viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs) seen in developed countries like The United States and Australia. Genital warts are most common in people in people in the 20-24 year old age group. We know that there are more then 100 types of wart viruses that infect the human skin. There are about 20 of these that infect the genital area. A wart virus infection can occur in three ways.
1. Visible warts that have a hard surface with a “cauliflower like” appearance.
2. Sub-clinical infection- where no skin changes can be seen but wart virus can be found with a microscope within the skin cells, and may still be infectious to others.
3. Latent infection- where the wart virus can only be found on special test that look for wart virus DNA.
How common is the wart virus
Wart viruses are very common - 75% of sexually active 15-49 year olds have wart virus or have had it in the past. Only 25% of people show no signs of ever having a wart virus of any kind. Most people who have HPV have no idea they carry the infection.
1% have visible warts.
4% have hpv found on Pap test.
10% have sub-clinical hpv that can be found special pathology tests.
60% have had HPV in the past that is not active in past which is not active at present.
When the warts are visible to the eye, they are very infectious, and thirty to sixty percent of the partners of the infected person, will find upon careful examination that they themselves have infection. When you spot the wart virus, the most important thing is to notify your partner at once. The both of you need to go at once for a medical examination, you should also discuss going in for a full STI check up, the wart virus infection can be associated with other STI’s in at least 50% of the people. Wart virus is transmitted from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact. After being exposed to the infection you can see the signs within three weeks to twelve months, or they never appear. Within three months ten to thirty percent of the people infected will have the visible warts will disappear, in most cases they will all disappear within a couple of years. Because of the appearance, you may prefer to have them treated. Treatment may also reduce the risk of spreading the wart virus.
Visible wart virus can be treated in various ways, with chemicals irritants, by freezing, electric current or laser, or by using a special cream that improves the immune system’s response to the wart virus.
It is important to remember that no treatment is completely effective. Treatment removes the physical signs of the Wart Virus, but it may take up to two years for the wart virus to be completely removed from the skin cells. For this reason, the wart virus can come back at any time during the first two years after treatment, especially in the first three months. This is more then likely to happen if the skin is damaged in any way. It is very important to keep the area clean and dry at this time. You may not see the wart virus on the skin, but even then, keeping the skin clean and dry is an effective way of helping your body to fight off the wart virus. It is also possible to infect a sexual partner at this time, even if no warts can be seen on the skin.
What happens when women have a pap test and they find HPV. Wart virus can also infect the cervix (the lower part of uterus). It seems that certain types of HPV staying in the cervix may be one of the things that leads to pre-cancerous or even cancerous changes in the cells. Only a small number with HPV on their Pap test will ever develop these changes. We know that for example, that smoking is one of the factors that increase the risk of cervical cancer, just one more great reason for you to stop smoking!
When HPV is found in a Pap test, the women needs to have more frequent Pap tests to see if the HPV goes away. The presence of this Wart virus is common in the cervix. About eighty percent of women having Pap tests regularly will have at least one that shows HPV infection. If it still shows after a year the women will have a colposcopy examination (magnified look at the cervix) to check the extent of the infection.
Virtually 100% of cervical cancers are associated with a group of virus that cause venereal warts, or (wart virus) although not all women will go on to develop cervical cancer. If a Pap test shows the cells are pre-malignant, the doctor will usually give the women antibiotics to see if the Pap test will return to normal. If it doesn’t the doctor usually removes or destroys cells lining the opening to the uterus. Since two types, 16 and 18, out of 65 wart viruses, are thought cause most cases of the virus doctors have become concerned with typing the warts. A recent study in a British journal, Lancet, shows that the appearance of the cells under a microscope is far more dependable in predicting cancer, then the method of typing, what kind of venereal wart you may have.
Almost all cases of wart virus is acquired through sexual activity, you can get them even if you wear a condom. The Wart Virus cannot get through the condom, but it can get around it.
The best prevention is to get a regular check up, and ask questions of the doctor.
