Human papillomavirus (hpv) infection

[Couch Potatoe]

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes warts. Some types of HPV cause skin warts, and other types cause genital warts (growths in or around the vagina, penis, or rectum). Infection with some HPV types can lead to cancer. HPV is sexually transmitted.

Different types of human papillomavirus (HPV) cause different infections, including visible genital warts and less visible genital warts in the cervix, vagina, vulva, urethra, penis, anus, as well as common skin warts.
Genital warts grow rapidly and sometimes cause burning pain.
Some types of HPV infection increase the risk of cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus, and throat.
Doctors identify visible warts based on their appearance, and they examine the cervix and anus to check for less visible warts.
Vaccines can prevent most types of HPV infection that can cause cancer.
Visible warts can usually be removed with a laser or by freezing (cryotherapy) or surgery, but sometimes drugs are applied to the warts.

(See also Overview of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.)
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD). HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get the virus at some point in their life. In the United States, about 14 million people become newly infected with HPV each year. Before the HPV vaccine became available, each year roughly 340,000 to 360,000 patients sought care for genital warts caused by HPV. As more and more people are being vaccinated against HPV, the percentage of people with evidence of HPV infection has been decreasing.
Most infections go away within 1 to 2 years, but some persist. Persistent infection caused by some types of HPV can increase the risk of certain types of cancer.
There are over 100 known types of HPV. Some types cause common skin warts. Other types cause different types of genital infections:

External (easily seen) genital warts: These warts are caused by certain types of HPV, especially types 6 and 11. Types 6 and 11 are unlikely to cause cancer. These types are transmitted sexually and infect the genital and rectal areas.
Internal (less visible) genital warts: Other HPV types, especially types 16 and 18, infect the genital area but do not cause easily visible warts. They cause tiny flat warts on the cervix or in the anus, which may be visible only with a magnifying instrument called a colposcope. Warts may also develop in the vagina, vulva, urethra, penis, anus, or throat. These less visible warts usually cause no symptoms, but the HPV types that cause them increase the risk of developing cervical cancer and vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and throat cancer. Therefore, these warts should be treated. Being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases the risk of developing HPV-related cancer.

The types of HPV that affect the genital and rectal areas are usually spread during vaginal or anal intercourse but may also be spread through other types of contact.
HPV can also be spread during oral sex, causing infections of the mouth and increasing the risk of throat cancer.