Causes and Effects of Genital Warts
Causes Of Genital Warts
Genital warts are caused by HPV (human papillomavirus). There are over 100 types of HPV that have been identified, and about 40 of these have the potential to infect the genital area. Almost 90% of genital warts are caused by two specific types of the virus (HPV-6 and HPV-11), which are considered low risk, which means they have a low probability of causing cancer. HPV-16, 18, 31, and 45 are known as "high risk" virus types as they have a high potential for causing cancer. HPV-16 is thought to cause around 50% of all cervical cancers, but HPV in general is believed to cause 100% of cases of cervical cancer. HPV ( and genital warts ) are almost always transmitted through sexual contact, but can be transfered by non-sexual methods such as direct manual contact. Having mutliple sex partners, unprotected sex, becoming sexually active at an early age, and anal sex will increase the likelyhood of infection by HPV.
Why Treating Genital Warts Is Important
Genital warts usually appear within 2-3 months of contact with a carrier (infected person). At first they appear as small bumps around the anus, vagina or penis, and are usually about 1mm in size. If left untreated, they will begin spreading and growing in size. They can begin spreading inside the anus or vagina, and inside the urethra ( the opening where urine exits the body). As they grow they can become very painful and they can begin to bleed. At the same time they can grow into large cauliflower-like formations that will keep growing and spreading. Even the low-risk HPVs such as HPV-6 or HPV-11 can cause cancer if left untreated. In women, genital warts, if left untreated, can cause cervical and uterine cancer and other anogenital cancers, while in men it can cause prostate and penile cancer. The same virus has been linked with certain head and neck cancers for both men and women.
Treatment Options For Genital Warts
Treating genital warts can be done in several ways, depending on the location of the warts, and the severity of the infection.
- Cryotherapy is an often used method that involves freezing the warts with liquid nitrogen. It is a relatively safe and painless treatment with high response rates and few side effects.
- Laser treatments are used for extensive and/or recurring genital warts. It usually requires local, regional or general ansethesia. It is an expensive procedure which leaves scars and requires increased healing time, as well as having potential for infections due to the particles in the air caused by the laser plume.
- Electrodesiccation tecnique uses an electric current to destroy the warts. It can usually be done in a doctors office with just local anesthesia, however the resulting smoke may be infectious.
- There are also several genital wart creams that can be used for early treatment. The downside to these is that they do not usually have a high success rate but are usually expensive. Creams can also cause painful burning and/or irritation as well as many other side effects.
- Injections such as Interferon alpha-n3 ( Alferon N) can be used for warts that do not respond to other therapies, however, they are very expensive and have many side effects.
- There are several folk remedies for treating genital warts at their early stages such as Vitamin E oils, Onion Juice, Fig Juice (white milky juice from a fig stem), Apple cider vinegar and others. However, the effectiveness of these remedies has never been fully studied and it is unclear how well they work.
- Several natural treatments have been developed for genital warts. These treatments have a high rate of success but are not as expensive as the conventional ones, nor do they have any undesired side effects.
