Two strains of HPV, types 6 and 11, cause 90 percent of these warts. Only about 1 percent of sexually active Americans have noticeable genital warts, which require treatment to prevent the spread to other genital areas and to sexual partners.
90% genital warts are believed to be caused by low-risk HPV genotypes 6 or 11 infection [12]. High-risk HPV genotypes 16, 18, 31, 33, and 35 are also occasionally found in genital warts and can be associated with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions particularly in persons who have HIV infection [12].
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer.
HPV testing can be performed for women with a Pap test (commonly known as a Pap smear), which is a screening test for cervical cancer. HPV testing is only available for women, and it can determine if HPV is present. If present, the test can determine whether the HPV is a low- or a high-risk type.
Sometimes, the immune system clears the warts within a few months. But even if the warts go away, the HPV might still be active in the body. So the warts can come back. Usually within 2 years, the warts and the HPV are gone from the body.
Although warts can be removed, there is no cure for HPV infection. What happens if genital warts are left untreated? Left untreated, genital warts can grow larger, bleed, and cause pain or itching. Rarely, genital warts result in cancer.
Is HPV Contagious Forever? Most cases of HPV clear up on their own after one to two years, and you'll no longer be contagious once it leaves your system. However, the virus can remain dormant for years, and some people experience infections that stick around for much longer.
About 60 of the 100 HPV types cause warts on areas like the hands or feet. The other 40 or so enter the body during sexual contact.
If you get a positive HPV test, your physician has detected one or more high risk strains of the virus on the Pap test of your cervix. If the virus stays with you for a long time, it can cause cell changes that can lead to several types of cancer. Lois Ramondetta, M.D.
Anyone who has had sex can get HPV, even if it was only with only one person, but infections are more likely in people who have had many sex partners. Even if a person delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner, they are still at risk of HPV infection if their partner has been exposed.
Time to recurrence
Of all women with at least one recurrence (n = 306), 44.6% experienced the recurrence within 12 weeks, 69.1% within six months and 82.9% within 1 year. In 8.1% of the study patients first recurrence was observed more than 3 years after primary treatment of genital warts.
Depending on the type of HPV that you have, the virus can linger in your body for years. In most cases, your body can produce antibodies against the virus and clear the virus within one to two years. Most strains of HPV go away permanently without treatment.
For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years. Only a small number of women who have one of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer will ever actually develop the disease.
Most HPV infections go away on their own and don't cause any health problems. However, if HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts. It also can cause certain kinds of cancer. We do not know why HPV causes health problems in some people and not others.
Genital warts are usually a sexually transmitted disease (STD). They're caused by HPV (human papillomavirus). This virus also can cause some types of cancer.
No, while not all strains of HPV cause genital warts, all genital warts are caused by some strain of HPV. However, some people mistake moles, skin tags, or other sores for warts. It's best to have a healthcare provider look at them to know for sure.
HPV-related cancers often take years to develop after getting an HPV infection. Cervical cancer usually develops over 10 or more years. There can be a long interval between being infected with HPV, the development of abnormal cells on the cervix and the development of cervical cancer.
Often, HPV warts will appear three to six months after sexual relations with an infected person; or they may take months to appear; or they may never appear. Likewise, the interval between an infection with HPV and a cervical smear abnormality can vary from months to decades.
About blood tests for HPV
There is no blood, urine, anal, or oral swab that can detect HPV. The only way to detect HPV is by viewing cell samples from the cervix under a microscope. This is because the virus passes through skin-to-skin contact and infects the skin and mucosal cells.
Genital warts are a common sexually transmitted infection caused by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This virus is passed on through direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has HPV on their skin. It can be passed from person to person during vaginal and anal sex.
Common warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus is quite common and has more than 150 types, but only a few cause warts on your hands. Some strains of HPV are acquired through sexual contact.
HPV types 6 and 11 are estimated to cause ∼90% of genital warts, and among individuals with warts, HPV-6 is the most frequently observed cause of infection (55%–90% of cases), followed by HPV-11 (5%–42% of cases) [1].
Two strains of HPV, types 6 and 11, cause 90 percent of these warts. Only about 1 percent of sexually active Americans have noticeable genital warts, which require treatment to prevent the spread to other genital areas and to sexual partners.
More than half of men who are sexually active in the U.S. will have HPV at some time in their life. Often, men will clear the virus on their own, with no health problems.
Summary: The body's ability to clear an infection by the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV) may be largely due to unpredictable division patterns in HPV-infected stem cells, rather than the strength of the person's immune response as previously thought.