Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

The human papillomavirus (HPV) belongs to a group of viruses that infect the skin and mucous membranes.

Symptoms. It can produce mostly benign lesions, such as warts on the skin and genital warts and, more rarely, malignant lesions such as some types of cancer (cancer of cervix, penis, vulva or anus).

Prevention. There are over a hundred types of HPV that can infect different parts of the human body: Some infect the skin of the hands, face or the soles of the feet, while others infect the skin or mucous membranes of the anogenital region and the oral cavity. Of these, nearly a dozen types may promote the development of cancer. A person can become infected with more than one of the different types of HPV.

HPV infection can affect any sexually active person, although it is usually more common in young people.

The risk of infection increases if:

You become sexually active at an early age (before age 17).
You have had sex with various people.
A partner has had multiple sexual partners.
You do not use condoms consistently during sex.

Most of the time, HPV causes no symptoms or discomfort and the person is not aware that he suffers from this infection, however, it can be transmitted to others.

Some HPV causes genital warts and others can produce cervical cancer or, less commonly, cancer in other locations. However, over 90% of infections are cured spontaneously without any treatment.

For more information visit:

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

Creation date: 17/09/2015 - Last modification date: 09/10/2015

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