Human Papilloma Virus
Smear tests can detect abnormal cells caused by HOV
Human papilloma viruses or HPVs are a group of more than 80 different types of virus, including those causing genital warts. They can be transmitted through sexual intercourse and have been linked to cervical cancer. It is estimated that up to 15% of women aged 20 to 30 women and up to 6% of women over 40 carry the virus. The majority do not go on to develop cancer. BBC News Online looks at what HPVs are and what they do.
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What is human papillomavirus?
The name papillomavirus relates to warts or papillomas which many of the 80 types of the virus cause.
These are non-cancerous tumours. Warts on different parts of the body relate to different types of papillomavirus.
Thirty types are linked to infections in the genital tract.
In women, warts or flat, abnormal growths may form on the skin around the external genitalia, the skin round the anus, the vagina and the cervix.
In men, warts may appear on and under the foreskin, on the penis and around the anus.
People with visible warts are thought to be most at risk of spreading the virus through sexual intercourse.
They are likely to carry the virus for life.
Doctors believe people are most infectious when they first contract the virus, but even people with no visible warts, but a past history of having them could be infectious.
They say that there may be a time lag between contracting the virus and developing warts, sometimes lasting several years.
People with a lowered immune system are more likely to develop warts than others. The body’s immune system can normally fight off the virus within three to six months.
Testing
Genital warts are assumed to be caused by HPV, but other tests can be done to identify whether a person is carrying the virus, including biopsy.
However, none has been totally reliable. Scientists say some people may have been told they have the virus when they do not because HPV-type changes may be similar to normal anatomical variations.
Prevention
There is no totally reliable way to avoid infection, but wearing a condom and using spermicides can reduce the risk.
Treatment
Ointments, including podophyllin and trichloroacetic acid, can be painted onto external warts on a weekly basis until they disappear.
They should be washed off about seven hours after application.
Lesions and warts can also be removed by surgery, freezing and laser treatment, although there is currently no medical cure to eliminate HPV.
HPV and cancer
The presence of some forms of sexually-transmitted HPVs in both men and women have been linked with cancer.
Cancer-associated forms of HPV usually have a thin, flat shape and are almost invisible, compared with other forms of genital warts.
The major form of cancer linked to HPV is cervical cancer.
Women who have been infected with sexually-transmitted HPV are thought to be at greater risk of developing cervical dysplasia, a pre-cancerous condition which can be detected on a Pap or smear test.
This is treatable, but should be followed up by regular yearly smears.
Doctors say the presence of HPVs should not affect a woman’s ability to give birth or her likelihood of needing a hysterectomy.
HPVs can be detected in Pap tests. These divide the lesions caused by the virus into two main types: low-grade and high grade, both of which cause the growth of abnormal cells.
High-grade lesions are thin, flat cells found in the vagina and the outer cervix.
Low-risk lesions are fairly common and most return to normal after a few months or years. However, they can sometimes develop into cancer-associated lesions.
Women who start having sex at an early age or have several sexual partners carry an increased chance of having HPV, but most infections disappear without treatment.
Even those who develop cancer-associated HPVs rarely go on to develop cervical cancer.
Researchers say this is because other factors may be involved in whether HPV may cause cancer, including smoking and a lowered immune system.
This page contains basic information. If you are concerned about your health, you should consult a doctor.