Genital warts: their symptoms and treatment

What is a genital wart?

A genital warts (or simply genital wart, possibly genital wart, condyloma acuminatum) is a benign skin appendage. It can happen to both men and women, regardless of age group it can affect everyone.

It is most often present on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes - the groin, the anus and the external parts of the genitals are the most typical areas of occurrence. They do not cause pain and do not represent a significant source of danger to health, but they impose a very unpleasant psychological burden on the affected patients.

Genital warts are a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of HPV, and some types can cause genital warts. Genital warts can appear as small, flesh-colored bumps or lumps in the genital area. They can be flat or convex and of different sizes. Genital warts can also appear on the anus, cervix or throat.

What are the types of genital warts?

1. common wart (verruca vulgaris): it can be found on the limbs, the back of the hand and the surface of the fingers, as well as on the soles of the feet. They are not painful and are about 2-5 mm in size.
2. running wart (verruca plana juvenilis): small whitish viral warts that appear in childhood and adulthood, especially on the face of women, which are also caused by a certain type of HPV
3. hanging, filiform warts: light brown growths hanging on peduncles, mostly on the face
4. genital warts: this benign skin appendage is spread by low-risk HPV types 6 and 11.

Diagnosis of genital warts

How do genital warts spread?

The infection itself is transmitted through sexual contact with a person infected with the virus, i.e. it is a sexually transmitted disease, which includes anal and oral methods, so unfortunately condoms alone do not provide complete protection. If symptoms are detected, it is therefore not enough to treat the acutely infected person, in all cases it is necessary to examine and treat the partner(s).

It is important that kissing, toilet seats, cutlery, swimming pools, and the blood of an infected person are not risk factors for HPV.

The formation process, the spread of the wart:

• the virus enters the skin through micro-injuries in the epithelium
• here it travels all the way to the epithelial cells, which it infects
• causes increased reproduction, which appears on the skin in the form of warts
• cells constantly peel off from the surface of the wart, which act as a potential source of virus and are constantly infected

Symptoms of genital warts

In the case of men, genital warts appear in most cases on the penis, and in women, in the area of ​​the labia majora and the groin. In some rare cases, the area around the anus and the inside of the rectum may also be affected. In this case, a burning, itching sensation and a feeling of moisture are often experienced. Viral warts can also appear in the oral cavity or pharynx.

Warts usually do not cause pain, rather itching and inflammation may occur in their case. If the wart becomes inflamed, bleeding may occur in the mentioned areas, or superinfection with pus-producing bacteria may develop.

If left untreated, tumors can even develop, so don't neglect viral warts if you notice symptoms!

Important tips:

• if you think you have been in contact with someone with genital warts, contact an STI specialist for an examination
• in the event that you already notice the complaints, it is worth investigating other infections, such as chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, HIV infection, syphilis, etc.

Possible consequences of genital warts

HPV infection 16, 18, 31 and 45 viruses are responsible for the most critical infections. If such infections are not properly treated, then cervical cancer or other types of cancer of the genital and urinary organs may also develop. Of course, with treatment at the appropriate stage of the disease, the infection has a good chance of being treated: recovery can be confirmed by two negative control tests performed a few weeks apart.

Treatment of genital warts

Treatment is often difficult and slow, especially when we are talking about many warts. The chance of recurrence is also very high, so the control examination is not only recommended, but also mandatory after the end of the treatment, as prescribed by the doctor. HPV virus infection is unfortunately often accompanied by other co-infections, which are all checked by the gynecologist during the tests - from blood and other types of samples.

There are several options for removing viral warts. One of the best results is CO2 laser removal. The reason for this is that the treatment itself is quick, does not involve complications, pain, and superficial wounds after the treatment, so this is the often chosen method.

From among the treatment options, the doctor selects the one that best responds to the given problem, which can mostly be the following:

• brushes: salicylic acid or trichloroacetic acid, podophyllotoxin removes the wart
• freezing: during cryotherapy, the wart is frozen with liquid nitrogen
• electric cauterization: the basis of this process is electric burning
• laser highlighting: the procedure "vaporizes" the warts, the cells are blown up by the high-energy laser and simply disappear as steam.
• surgical excision: the condylomas are cut with a surgical method, scalpel or scissors

Smaller growths are easier to treat than larger ones, and those found in moister areas respond better to treatment than those present in drier skin areas.

For pregnant women, it is very important to consult a specialist as soon as possible in case of genital warts. Not all types of treatment can be used during pregnancy, and the virus can also cause discomfort during childbirth.

HPV vaccination is already available in Hungary. The HPV vaccine with components 4 and 9 protects against genital warts.