CONDYLOMA

By Joseph Hazan,M.D., FACOG

 

Condyloma is also known as genital warts.

Whereas Chlamydia is the most reported STD,

Condyloma is the most common STD.

This is due to the fact that most HPV infections

which are related to Condyloma do not

cause symptoms. This is most common for

those under 25.

 Condyloma is the most

common lesion of HPV

(Human Papilloma Virus),

but many HPV types do not cause

condyloma.

There are over 100 types of HPV and

15 of these types are high risk for

cervical cancer.

The most important hiph risk HPV types

are HPV-16, -18, -31, -33,

-35, -39, -51, -52, -58,  and  61.

One third to one half of women who

have condyloma also have high risk

HPV types.

External genital warts are more common

in women than men.

It is estimated that there are 1 million new

cases of external genital warts every year

and two thirds of these occur in women.

The incidence of HPV is increasing.

Over the past few decades the

incidence has increased and there

was a four-fold rise in reported cases

during the sixties, seventies and eighties.

HPV is sexually transmitted and most lesions

appear within two months after exposure.

Smoking is a risk factor, due to both behavioral

and immune response factors.

There are numerous treatment options that

help eliminate the warts, but there are no

treatments that directly target the virus.

It is important to screen for other STDs when

HPV is detected. There is no evidence that

the partner is at increased risk for being

reinfected by HPV after being exposed or

treated.

There are situations in which the

external genital warts clear up without

being treated.

It is important to use safe treatment options

especially during pregnancy since

there are cases of warts that form in the throat

of the baby due to exposure during

labor and delivery.

Some of these warts require several treatments.