What are Genital Warts?
Genital warts affect both men and women and appear on or around the
vulva, vagina, anus, cervix, penis, scrotum, groin or thigh.
They are usually spread through skin-to-skin contact during sex.
Genital warts are easily transmitted. Long term association with an
infected partner is not necessary for transmission.
The warts can look like small raised bumps or have a soft,
cauliflower-like appearance and can appear singly or in-groups. They are usually painless
but accompanying symptoms can include itching, burning and tenderness.
The human papilloma virus (HPV) causes genital warts. This microscopic
virus has to multiply and grow before warts can be seen therefore many genital warts
especially those that are flat, can only be seen under a magnifier.
Someone can obviously carry the virus that causes genital warts for
several years before visible warts appear.
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Medical Advice
Diet may play a part and patients should be advised to maintain
an adequate intake of vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid.
Smoking increases the risk of developing genital warts by a factor of
4.
Aldara has just been released by its discoverer, 3M Pharmaceuticals,
and is only available on a doctor’s prescription. It is a relatively pain-free,
effective treatment for genital warts.
Aldara cream is a new non-invasive treatment for genital warts that
patients can apply themselves at home. Aldara cream contains imiquimod, an immune response
modifier, and is the first therapy that by stimulating the body’s production of its
own interferon to fight the viral infection and achieves a high rate of wart clearance and
low rate of recurrence.
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Psychological reactions to Genital Warts
The main problem for people lies in dealing emotionally with a genital
warts diagnosis. Often warts sufferers become anxious or depressed and one must consider
psychological reactions such as problems people may have with sexuality, shame,
embarrassment and self-blame because there is a social stigma attached to having a
sexually transmitted disease and people think that those who contract them are
promiscuous.
The emotional problems that people have with genital warts are very
similar to those people with herpes experience, it is therefore important people receive
the proper information at the time of diagnosis therefore avoiding the psychosexual
disquiet that harms some patients.
Sexual Health services should also have the means and resources to
provide the partner with the information and support they require because a diagnosis of
genital warts can often cause problems in the relationship, with accusations of blame and
suspicion that one of them has been unfaithful.
It must be explained that it is possible for someone in a stable
relationship to have developed warts as a result of a sexual encounter that happened long
before they met their current partner.
If a person who has been recently diagnosed with HPV has been in a
relationship for more than three months and they have not used condoms regularly, the
other partner has most likely been infected.
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