genital warts

A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is a disease caused by a pathogen(i.e., a disease-causing virus, bacterium, parasite, fungus) that isspread from person to person primarily through sexual contact. STDs canbe painful, irritating, debilitating, and life threatening.
STDs occur most commonly in sexually active teenagers and young adults,especially those with multiple sex partners. An estimated 200 to 400million people worldwide are affected¡ªrepresenting men and women ofall economic classes, including about 70 million in the United States.Generally, STD incidence has declined in the United States over thepast 15 years, although rates among certain populations, including menwho have sex with men, have increased.
Most STDs cause relatively harmless disease, producing few symptoms orno symptoms. However, some produce persistent asymptomatic or minimallysymptomatic disease (e.g., chlamydia). Some people carry the diseasefor days or weeks, while others carry the disease for longer periods,even for life. During this time, an infected individual, or carrier,can spread disease.
In persistent infection, the pathogen evades detection by the immunesystem and remains fairly inactive, causing no overt disease. Thisinactivity is called latency. However, certain triggers (e.g., stress,immune suppression, injury) can reactivate latent pathogens. In somecases, reactivated disease is asymptomatic (e.g., chlamydia); inothers, overt (e.g., genital herpes); and in still others, severe andeven fatal (e.g., HIV/AIDS).
Complications of STD infection include pelvic inflammatory disease(PID) and cervicitis (inflammation of the cervix) in women, urethritis(inflammation of the urethra) and prostatitis (inflammation of theprostate) in men, and fertility and reproductive system problems inboth sexes.
Possible consequences to a child infected by his or her mother, whilein the womb or during birth, include stillbirth, blindness, andpermanent neurological damage, depending on the disease.
A person infected with an STD is more likely to become infected withHIV, and a person infected with HIV and another STD is more likely totransmit HIV.
Viral STDs, such as genital herpes (HSV) and human immunodeficiencyvirus (HIV), cannot be cured, but symptoms can be managed withmedication. Bacterial STDs, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, can becured with antibiotics. Fungal (e.g., vaginal yeast infection) andparasitic (e.g., trichomoniasis) diseases can be cured with antifungaland antihelminthic agents, respectively. Early diagnosis and treatmentincrease the chances for cure.
The only sure way to avoid becoming infected with an STD is monogamywith an uninfected partner. It is important for partners to discusstheir sexual and STD history before having sex. Prevention is possibleonly if sexually active individuals understand STDs and how they arespread.
The risk for transmission is dramatically reduced with the use ofcondoms. The following behaviors and conditions can increase the riskfor STDs:
Engaging in sexual activity when either partner has unhealed lesions (e.g., genital herpes sores, genital warts)
Enema or rectal douching before rectal intercourse
Rectal or vaginal irritation or infection
Sexual activity that may damage the mucosal lining of the vagina or rectum
Tampon use (Tampons can cause vaginal dryness and cellular abnormalities. Sanitary napkins, either
disposable or washable cotton pads, are recommended.)
Vaginal dryness (Water-based lubricant is recommended.)

Doctors believe that transmission can be reduced by successful treatment of warts and by the use of condoms. Neither method, however, can prevent transmission in every case, especially for warts not covered by a condom. Knowing one’s sexual partner and other forms of safe sex help reduce transmission, but only abstinence is 100% effective.
As with [...]

Themedical term for warts in the genital area is condyloma acuminatum. Itis usually spread by genital to genital contact. This can includepenile penetration, but skin to skin contact is all that is necessary.It can also spread within the genital area after contact; anal lesionsare sometimes found in women and men who have had no anal intercourse.Infection after oral sex is rare but has been reported (in some caseslesions were found on vocal cords). Warts on the hand or foot are adifferent strain of and are not transmissible to someone¡¯s genitals.
Symptons
The incubation period is one month to many years.
Raised ”warty” appearing tumors on the genitals
Raised, flesh colored lesions
Genital lesions: Genital sores (female), Genital sores (male), Anal warts
Cauliflower-like appearing growths around the anus or female genitalia
Increased dampness or moisture in the area of the growths
Itching of the penis, scrotum, anal area, or a vulvar itch
Increased vaginal discharge
Abnormal vaginal bleeding (not associated with a menstrual period) after sexual intercourse
Signs and tests:
A genital examination reveals flesh-colored to white, flat orraised, single or clustered lesions anywhere on the    externalgenitalia. In women, a pelvic examination may reveal growths on thevaginal walls or the cervix.    Magnification (colposcopy) may be usedto see lesions invisible to the naked eye. The tissue of the vagina and   cervix may be treated with acetic acid to make the warts visible.
Additional tests for women:
A Pap smear may note changes associated with HPV. A colposcopy maybe done to see either external or internal    genital lesions which areinvisible to the naked eye.
Additional Information for Women
Most women have no symptoms during the early stage of infection. Inseveral studies that involved college women, nearly half were positivefor HPV. However, only 1% to 2% had visible warts and fewer than 10%remembered ever having warts. If symptoms are present, they may includethe following:
Dry, painless, cauliflower-like warts on the genitals
Genital sores
Increased dampness or moisture in the area of the warts
Chronic itching of the outer lips of the vagina
Increased vaginal discharge
Abnormal vaginal bleeding
Warts in other sexually exposed areas, such as the anus or mouth
Abnormal Pap smear results. A Pap smear is an examination, under a microscope, of cells scraped from the   cervix.

Genital warts, also known as venereal warts or condylomata acuminata, are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Papilloma viruses cause small growths (warts) on the skin and mucous membranes. Infection of the genital and anal regions with HPV can cause warts (anogenital condyloma) on the penis, vulva, urethra, vagina, cervix, and around the anus [...]

In the subject of sexually transmitted diseases, one particularly important aspect that should be paid attention to is the link between genital warts and cancer. The fact is that genital warts are not really cancerous just like all other types of warts you can have on other body parts, but the danger lies in the [...]

Treatment of Genital Warts
Over 30 papers have been published so far regarding the application of podophyllotoxin for the treatment of genital warts. Many reviews have appeared on this subject. Genital warts (Condyloma accuminata) are a kind of sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by human  papillomavirus (HPV). The application of highly purified podophyllotoxin cured almost all [...]

Genital warts in women can appear on the labia, inside the vagina, and on the cervix (opening to the uterus), as well as
around the anal area. In men they generally appear on the head or shaft of the penis, and sometimes on the scrotum or around the anus. The warts start as pink, tan, or [...]

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Another virus that is sexually transmitted is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes genital warts, also called condylomata acuminala. These genital warts may occur in the urogenital, perineal, or anal areas, and may be either external or internal. The population at risk seems to be teenage girls or young women in their twenties. In [...]

Genital HPV and Pregnancy
Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common STI that usually has no symptoms, though it may cause genital warts. In most cases, the virus clears up on its own, though it may persist for life. (F-IPV includes more than 100 different strains, over a third of which infect the genital tract. Some strains [...]

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted viral infection of the lower genital tract. There are many subtypes of this virus, and infections by different varieties lead to disparate clinical conditions. These include genital warts (condylomata acuminata), sub-clinical infection, abnormal growth of epithelial cells (intraepithelial neoplasia), and/or carcinoma of the [...]