Genital Warts (Condyloma Acuminatum)

Anogenital Warts

Emergency Medicine,Genitourinary

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate
What are anogenital warts? — Anogenital warts are small, skin-colored or pink growths that form on the vulva (the lips of the vagina), vagina, penis, or anus. They are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or "HPV." You can catch this virus during sex. Anogenital warts are often called just "genital warts."
Is HPV dangerous? — The type of HPV that causes most forms of genital warts is not usually dangerous. But other types of HPV can lead to cancer of the cervix (a part inside the woman's body), penis, or anus.
Do warts hurt or itch? — Not usually. Most people with genital warts have no symptoms (other than the warts). But some people have itching, burning, or tenderness.
Is there a test for genital warts? — No, there is no test. But your doctor or nurse should be able to tell if you have warts just by doing an exam. He or she might also take small samples of tissue (biopsy) if it is not clear what you have. But that is not usually necessary.
How are genital warts treated? — There are several medicines that can help get rid of warts. Some work by slowly destroying the warts. Others work by getting your body's own infection-fighting system to attack the warts.
Most medicines are lotions or gels that go on the warts. They have to be applied one or more times a week for many weeks. Some medicines must be applied by a doctor or nurse. Others you can apply yourself.
People who do not get better with medicines or who have a very big wart or a lot of warts can have them removed. This is also an option for people who have warts that could become cancer.
There are different treatments to remove warts:
Cryotherapy, which uses a chemical to freeze warts
Electrocautery, which uses electricity to burn away warts
Traditional surgery, which involves cutting away warts
Laser surgery, which uses light to destroy warts
Ultrasound surgery, which uses sound waves to break up and remove warts (this is not available many places)
What if I am pregnant? — If you are pregnant, make sure to tell your doctor before you get treated for genital warts. Some of the treatments for genital warts are safe to use during pregnancy, but others are not.
What happens after treatment? — After you have been treated for warts, your doctor or nurse might ask you to check once in a while to see if they come back. If warts are going to come back, they will probably do so within a few months.
You should know that even if you cannot see any warts, you might still have HPV. That means that warts can come back at any time. If warts do come back, you could spread them to someone else.
Can genital warts be prevented? — Yes. There are now vaccines against HPV. They can help prevent infection with most of the forms of HPV that cause warts. But the vaccines can prevent infection only if you get vaccinated before you get warts.
You can also protect yourself by not having sex with anyone who is infected with HPV. But that is hard, because people do not always know that they have the virus. Condoms can help reduce the risk of infection. But they do not totally protect you. The virus can live on places on the skin not covered by a condom.
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete.
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Mar 30, 2020.
Topic 15377 Version 10.0
Release: 28.2.2 - C28.105
© 2020 UpToDate, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Condyloma,Condylomata Acuminata,High-Grade Dysplasia HPV,HPV,HSIL-HPV,Human Papillomavirus Infection,Low-Grade Dysplasia HPV,LSIL-HPV,Penile Warts,Sexually Transmitted Diseases,Sexually Transmitted Infections,Sexually-Transmitted Diseases,Sexually-Transmitted Infections,STDs,Venereal Warts

This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you.The use of UpToDate content is governed by the UpToDate Terms of Use. ©2020 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2020 UpToDate, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.