Papillomaviruses can infect different organs. The group includes more than 70 different species, which differ in DNA and are designated by different numbers.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is spread primarily through sexual contact, but the infection can actually be transmitted through contact with mucous membranes or infected skin. Vertical transmission from mother to child at birth is not uncommon.
The appearance of the virus depends on its type.
- Warts, for example, arise as a result of infection with HPV 1,2,3, and 4. These are formations that grow on its surface, sometimes mistaken for moles. Warts, on the other hand, are skin-colored and have a rather bumpy and uneven surface. They are not considered potentially dangerous. Rather, they may create inconveniences due to the location where they are located, or because of the aesthetic defect, they carry.
- Warts result from contact of the mucous membrane and skin of the genital organs with HPV 6 or 11. These growths usually appear on the glans penis and foreskin (the skin around the head) in men and on the labia in women. . They can also affect the area around the anus and also form in the mouth, urethra, bladder, vagina, and cervix.
These are small protruding formations, the external shape of which may differ slightly in individual individuals. In some cases, warts are clearly visible, raised, in others – microscopic and barely noticeable. You can recognize them by atypical irregularities, and roughness on the skin when touched. - With bowenoid papulosis, there are multiple warty formations on the skin, mainly on the genitals: the labia in women and the head of the penis in men. The disease is considered an intermediate stage between genital warts and Bowen’s disease. Flat plaques are observed on the surface of the skin. They can be of different colors: white, pink, or yellowish. It is caused by HPV 16, 18, 31 and 33 and can degenerate into skin cancer, in 2.6% of cases it is associated with malignant tumor (malignant) growth.
- Infection with HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, and 45 can also cause Bowen’s disease, which develops in men. A wet coating appears on the skin of the penis. Its edges are clearly defined, and the surface is similar to velvet. The obvious sign is its color – red. It can grow long after its appearance. Also with the potential to become malignant.
- HPV types 16 and 18 are especially dangerous for women, they cause tumor changes in the epithelium of the cervix. The disease has 3 stages, the third is defined as the initial stage of cervical cancer. Malignant cervical cancer can also be caused by HPV types 31, 33, 35 and 39. The most insidious thing about these infections is that they are asymptomatic in women until the last stage, when the effectiveness of treatment is relatively small.
