Human Papillomavirus

What is HPV?

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. It’s the most

common sexually transmitted infection. HPV is usually
harmless and goes away by itself, but some types can
lead to cancer or genital warts.

There are more than 200 types of human papillomavirus

(HPV). About 40 kinds can infect your genital area — your
vulva, vagina, cervix, rectum, anus, penis, and scrotum —
as well as your mouth and throat. These kinds of HPV are
spread during sexual contact.

Two types of HPV (types 6 and 11) cause most cases of genital warts. Warts are no fun, but they’re
considered low-risk HPV because they don’t lead to cancer or other serious health problems.

At least a dozen types of HPV can sometimes lead to cancer, though two in particular (types 16 and
18) lead to the majority of cancer cases. These are called high-risk HPV. Cervical cancer is most
commonly linked to HPV, but HPV can also cause cancer in your vulva, vagina, penis, anus, mouth,
and throat.

Pathogen Involved

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a small, non-enveloped deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus that infects
skin or mucosal cells. The circular, double-stranded viral genome is approximately 8-kb in length. The
genome encodes for 6 early proteins responsible for virus replication and 2 late proteins, L1 and L2,
which are the viral structural proteins.

How can you get HPV?

HPV is spread through:

 Vaginal, oral, or anal sex. HPV can be spread even if there are no symptoms. This means you
can get HPV from someone who has no signs or symptoms.
 Genital touching. A
man does not need to
ejaculate (come) for HPV to
spread. HPV can also be
passed between women who
have sex with women.
 Childbirth from a
woman to her baby
HPV symptoms

low-risk HPV

 The most evident symptom of a low-risk HPV infection is genital warts. These warts may
appear as small raised bumps, flat lesions, or small protrusions from the skin. These warts
tend to be grouped, and can show within days or weeks of infection.[2]
 In women, genital warts are most often seen on the vulva and labia, but may also occur
around the anus, in the vagina, or on the cervix.
 Low-risk HPV strains may also lead to some lesions around the cervix, but generally speaking
will not lead to cancerous cell development.

high-risk HPV

High-risk HPV rarely has any associated symptoms unless it has progressed to an advanced stage of
cancer. This is why it is important to get an annual pelvic exam from your OB-GYN, who may be able
to detect problems before they advance to a cancerous or pre-cancerous level. Symptoms of
advanced-stage HPV that may be causing cervical cancer include:[3]

 Irregular bleeding or spotting between periods or after sexual intercourse.

 Irregular menstrual cycles.
 Fatigue.
 Weight loss or loss of appetite.
 Back, leg, or pelvic pain.
 A single swollen leg.
 Vaginal discomfort.
 Odorous discharge from the vagina.
Risk factors

 Number of sexual partners

 Age.
 Weakened immune systems.
 Damaged skin.
 Personal contact.

Prevention

There are two ways to prevent HPV. One way is get an HPV vaccine. The other way to
prevent HPV or any STI is to not have sexual contact with another person.
If you do have sex, lower your risk of getting an STI with the following steps:

 Use condoms.
 Get tested. Be sure you and your partner are tested for STIs. Talk to each
other about the test results before you have sex.
 Be monogamous.
 Limit your number of sex partners.
 Do not douche.
 Do not abuse alcohol or drugs.

What is the HPV vaccine?

The HPV vaccine helps prevent cervical cancer, genital warts, and some other rare cancers. The Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the HPV vaccine to prevent HPV-related diseases, including
cervical cancer in women.

Treatment

There is no treatment for HPV itself, but if you have high-risk HPV, it could cause abnormal cell
changes that might lead to cancer. If you have an abnormal Pap test result, you may need further
tests and/or treatment including:

 Colposcopy — a procedure to look more closely at the cervix to see if there are
precancerous cells.
 Cryotherapy — a treatment to freeze and remove precancerous cells from the cervix.
 LEEP or Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure — a treatment to remove precancerous cells
from the cervix with an electrical current.

Is HPV curable?
There’s no cure for HPV, but there are plenty of things you can do
to stay healthy and safe, and it’s even preventable! There
are vaccines that can prevent high-risk HPV types and the types
that cause genital warts. Most of the time your body can fight off
HPV before it causes any serious problems and before you’re even
aware you have the infection. For the high-risk types of HPV that
can eventually lead to cancer, finding abnormal cell changes
through regular Pap tests and/or HPV tests is the best way you can
prevent cervical cancer.