Understanding Genital Warts Types
Before you know genital warts types you should know exactly what genital warts are. Often considered to be their own type is venereal warts which are the same as genital warts and aren't their own genital warts types. All genital warts types are contracted through sexual contact. They can be spread by direct, skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal or oral sex if one person is infected. In rare cases genital warts types can be transmitted to infants by their mothers during birth.
The main difference in genital warts types come from the certain types of human papillomavirus or HPV that cause the genital warts. There are certain types of HPV which will cause warts on the hands and feet, but these will not cause genital warts as well. Genital warts are one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. Scientists estimate that about six million new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year.
The Affects
Genital warts typically affect the moist tissue areas of the genital area. They typically appear as small, flesh-colored bumps that can change to a cauliflower-like appearance if they are left untreated. Genital warts can range in size from one to two millimeters in diameter or to large sizes if they multiply into large clusters. In some cases genital warts have been known to disappear on their own.
For women genital warts typically affect the vulva, the walls of the vagina, the area between the external genitals and the anus and the neck of the uterus. For men genital warts can be found on the tip or shaft of the penis, the scrotum or the anus. If people have oral sex with an infected person then genital warts can also develop in the mouth or throat.
Virus Types
Human are infected by over one hundred types of papillomaviruses. More than forty of these will infect the anogenital tract of both men and women, resulting in genital warts. There is a subgroups of these viruses that can cause precancerous changes in the uterine cervix and cause uterine and cervical cancer. HPV has also been associated with the development of other anogenital cancers in women.
The HPV types that infect the anogenital tract are HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, although others may cause this infection as well. Types 6 and 11 are the most associated with benign lesions such as genital warts and mild dysplasia of the cervix, they are known as the low-risk HPV types. Then there is types 16 and 18 which are found in the majority of cervical and anogenital cancers as well as severe cases of dysplasia of the cervix.