Genital warts are warts that are found growing on a person's genital areas. They are among some of the more contagious sexually transmitted diseases around. Genital warts are caused by a group of viruses known as the human papillomavirus (HPV), and are usually described as white, cauliflower growths.
How to catch it
These viruses are often spread via skin-to-skin contact during genital, oral or anal intercourse. That being said, contrary to what most may think, genital warts cannot be passed by sharing a doorknob, a towel or a toilet seat among other things.
Symptoms
Most HPV victims develop no visible signs during their initial stages of infection. Such a quiet period may last for several months, or even several years, making them a severe threat of passing on the disease to others. After the initial stages, visible, abnormal growths (which are the warts) begin surfacing on and around the genital areas. Even then, some victims may not detect these growths because of their painless nature.
Health backlash
Although these warts are painless, victims will often meet problems such as itching, abnormal discharge, bleeding after intercourse or blockage during urination among other problems. The virus may also be passed on to their sexual partners, or even to their potential offspring. In the worst case scenario, genital warts can sometimes be linked to the development of certain cancers.
Treatment / Cure
There are currently no permanent cures for HPV infections. However, there are many treatment options available that aims to control this condition. For drug-based treatments, there are several drugs available, some of which are listed below.
Imiquimod
Imiquimod is a cream-based drug that may be applied by the patient at home. These creams can be applied directly on the affected area. However, skin irritation to the applied area is a common side effect for this drug.
Podophyllin resin
Podophyllin resin works by stopping cell growth in the affected area, and should be administered by a certified doctor. This resin is usually washed off within 4 hours to reduce side effect frequency and intensity. The side effects includes, but not limited to redness, itching and burning sensations.
Podofilox
Podofilox is a gel or lotion-based drug that can be applied by the patient him/herself, as per directed by his/her doctor. This drug is not suitable for application on warts located inside any body cavity. Some of the side effects reported after usage of this drug includes inflammation and pain.
Trichloroacetic acid
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is a drug that works by destroying the proteins in the warts cells that are on the affected area. TCA is known to be relatively safe to use during pregnancy. However, because it is difficult to control how much TCA can penetrate the skin, it may cause pain, skin irritations or ulcers during or after the application.
There are also other types of medical treatment other than drug usages.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is the usage of extreme cold temperatures induced by mediums such as liquid nitrogen on the affected area. Doing this serves to destroy the abnormal or diseased cells. Cryotherapy is a popular method for treating genital warts because of its high response rate along with its low frequency of side effects.
Electrodesiccation
Electrodesiccation is the usage of electrically charged surgical tools to destroy and burn off diseased tissues. Electrodessication is a relatively fast method, taking about 10 to 20 minutes to apply. However, anesthesia will be needed while performing this procedure.
Laser treatment
Laser treatment involves the usage of laser to destroy HPV-infected tissues. Such a treatment is said to require anesthesia during the procedure, and is highly expensive. However, laser treatment is highly useful for treating extensive or recurrent warts.
Surgical removal
Surgical removal is the physical removal of the warts by cutting them away using traditional methods. Such a treatment is usually highly successful, with low recurrent rate because of the manual labour involved.
Personal care
Because of the painless nature of genital warts, HPV victims usually don't need to pay a lot of attention when it comes to self care during treatment intervals. However, it will be wise to take note of the following.
- Take care to protect that vulnerable area from trauma as it may cause bleeding.
- Be wary of the possibility of passing the disease to your potential sexual partner
- Do not touch the warts as they are highly infectious, capable of passing it to other areas of the body
Prevention
The only surefire method of preventing the development of genital warts is complete abstinence. However, if one does not wish to practice abstinence, they can choose either administration of Gardasil, a HPV vaccine for women or usage of physical protection such as condoms (anti-pregnancy pills are not counted) during intercourse to reduce their chances of being infected with HPV.
