What is the most common outcome of HPV infection?

HPV is one of the most common STIs. The most important clinical consequence of HPV infection is cervical cancer. However, HPV-related cancers in men also cause significant morbidity and mortality.

What is the most common outcome of HPV?

Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-associated cancer, and some cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils) are also caused by HPV. HPV can infect the mouth and throat and cause cancers of the oropharynx.

What is a possible result of infection with HPV?

HPV can cause cervical and other cancers, including cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer). This can include the base of the tongue and tonsils. Cancer often takes years, even decades, to develop after a person gets HPV.

How common are HPV infections and what complications do the infections cause?

HPV infections are very common. Nearly everyone will get HPV at some point in their lives. More than 42 million Americans are currently infected with HPV types that cause disease. About 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected each year.

How long after getting HPV do you get cancer?

Research has found that it can take 10 to 20 years, or even longer, for HPV-infected cervical cells to develop into a cancerous tumor. Among women whose cervical cells are infected with high-risk HPV, several factors increase the chance that the infection will be long lasting and lead to precancerous cervical cells.

The most common STI in the world: HPV

How do you know if HPV turns into cancer?

Unfortunately, most people who have a high-risk type of HPV will never show any signs of the infection until it's already caused serious health problems. That's why regular checkups are so important — testing is the only way to know for sure if you're at risk for cancer from HPV.

Is all HPV considered high risk?

HPV infections are usually grouped as low-risk or high-risk HPV. Low-Risk HPV can cause warts on the anus and genital area, and sometimes the mouth. Other low-risk HPV infections can cause warts on arms, hands, feet, or chest. HPV warts do not cause serious health problems.

How did I get HPV if I am married?

The reason HPV is so common is because the virus lives on the skin. This means you can catch it simply through skin-to-skin contact. HPV transmission, of the types that cause genital warts, can happen during oral, anal, and vaginal sex, but you can also get it through intimate touching or sharing sex toys.

How long does it take for HPV to cause abnormal cells?

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.

What is the most obvious symptom of HPV infection?

Most cases of HPV are asymptomatic, meaning you will not have any noticeable signs or symptoms. For those who do experience symptoms, they may include: Genital warts (a bump or group of bumps in the genital area) Cervical dysplasia (the presence of abnormal precancerous cells on the cervix)

How common is it to be HPV positive?

A positive HPV test can be a surprise, but knowing the facts can give you relief. Four out of five people will get it at some point.

What is the main cause of HPV?

HPV causes

The virus that causes HPV infection is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. Most people get a genital HPV infection through direct sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Because HPV is a skin-to-skin infection, intercourse isn't required for transmission to occur.

Where is HPV most common?

The worldwide prevalence of infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) in women without cervical abnormalities is 11-12% with higher rates in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), Eastern Europe (21%) and Latin America (16%). The two most prevalent types are HPV16 (3.2%) and HPV18 (1.4%).

Is HPV life threatening?

HPV can cause a very serious condition in children called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). This is a life-threatening disease of the respiratory tract. The papillomas or warts appear and spread quickly, sometimes dangerously blocking the child's airway.

What are the symptoms of high risk HPV in females?

High risk HPV usually presents with no initial symptoms. However, if the virus remains within the body for many years, infected cells can change and begin to divide uncontrollably. This would result in cancer. The presence of early cervical cancer or precancerous cells may not cause any symptoms.

Is HPV just an STD?

HPV is a very common STI. Among 15- to 59-year-olds, 2 in 5 (40%) people will have HPV. There are many different types of HPV; most do not cause any health problems. HPV is a different virus than HIV or (HSV) herpes.

Can two monogamous people get HPV?

Whilst condoms may not fully protect your partner from HPV, they do protect both of you from other sexually transmitted infections. For couples in long-term monogamous relationships, condoms are probably of little value in preventing HPV infections as partners will inevitably share HPV.

Does HPV mean infidelity?

A new onset of HPV does not necessarily mean that infidelity has taken place. Research confirms that a healthy im- mune system can clear HPV in 12 to 24 months from the time of transmission.

Should I be worried if I test positive for high-risk HPV?

A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPV that's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future.

How do you know what type of HPV you have?

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.

Does HPV make you tired?

Patients with HPV-unrelated tumors experienced significantly higher levels of fatigue over the course of the study (p=0.0097, Table 2), especially at pre-IMRT (p=0.001) and three-month post-IMRT (p=0.002), compared to those with HPV-related tumors (Figure 1a).

Does HPV cancer spread fast?

Cervical cancer develops slowly. It can take decades for an HPV infection to become cervical cancer. Fortunately, this means there's plenty of time to detect any abnormal changes to your cervix that indicate cervical cancer.

What percentage of abnormal Pap smears are cancer?

Most of the abnormal cells found during a Pap test are the result of a cervical or vaginal infection and are not cancerous. Abnormal Pap tests are very common. In fact, of the 3 million women with abnormal Pap tests each year, less than 1% (13,240 cases) will be diagnosed with cervical cancer.

What are the symptoms of Stage 1 cervical cancer?

Cancer of the cervix often has no symptoms in its early stages. If you do have symptoms, the most common is unusual vaginal bleeding, which can occur after sex, in between periods or after the menopause.