Genital warts – Condylomata acuminata
Condylomata acuminata
Genital warts (Condylomata acuminata) are not painful, unlike the sores of herpes infection, but some of the viruses that cause this STI are associated with the development of cervical cancer. This association with cancer and the possible transmission of this disease to the respiratory tract of infants during birth are the gravest concerns of this disease. Warts are noncancerous skin tumors, masses of cells that result from uncontrolled cell growth. All warts are called papillomas and are caused by the human papillomavirus (PAP-ih-LOW-mah-vigh-rus) (HPV). However, there are over 60 types of papillomaviruses (named HPV-l, HPV-2, and so on); each affects only certain areas of the body. More than 20 types of HPV can infect the genital tract, but visible genital warts are usually caused by HPV-6 and HPV-11. These viruses cause warts particularly in the cervical, vaginal, and vulvar areas in women and various parts of the penis in men. They can also infect the urethra and anal areas in both sexes. The HPV types that infect the genital area
but do not result in the growth of warts cause tissue changes that a health care provider usually can see by using special techniques. Some of these viruses, particularly HPV-16 and HPV-18, are associated with cancer of the cervix and less often with cancer of the vulva and penis. The American Cancer Society recommends that women have regular Papanicolaou tests (Pap smears) to detect atypical, precancerous or cancerous cells within the cervix and that men consider having any abnormal tissue growth in the genital area microscopically examined for the presence of cancer. Health care professionals are not required to report cases of genital warts to CDC, so only estimates of prevalence are available. More Americans have herpes then genital warts. The incidence of warts fell from 1987 to 1997 but has been rising since then.
Although genital warts may go away on their own, the virus particles may remain in the tissue, and can reactivate and infect others. These warts may also persist, grow larger and spread. The removal of genital warts involves applying medications to the skin that break down the wart tissue, freezing them with liquid nitrogen, cauterizing (burning) them, or treating them with carbon dioxide lasers. Treatment for hard-to-remove warts involves the injection of the antiviral agent alpha-interferon directly into the tumorous growths. If you contract genital warts, you may want to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of various treatments with your health care provider. Many treatments are far more painful than the warts, interferon treatments can be costly, and medical researchers are unsure whether treatment to remove warts reduces the risk of transmission. Efforts to develop a vaccine to protect against HPV infection or to use in its treatment have proved fruitless, primarily because the virus is extremely difficult to culture in the laboratory.