Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Nearly 80 million Americans have the infection, and about 14 million become newly infected every year. In fact, most sexually active people contract HPV at some point in their lives. The virus spreads easily through skin-to-skin sexual contact.
HPV doesn’t always cause symptoms, and many people with the virus don’t know they have it. More than 90 percent of all new HPV infections go away or become undetectable within two years, even without treatment. Yet some HPV infections can stay in the body and lead to complications, including genital warts. These warts may be small or large, flat or raised; they may emerge singly or in a cluster and be cauliflower-shaped. They appear most often on the vulva, the outer part of a woman’s genitals, and the penis. HPV infection may also cause more serious conditions, such as certain types of cancer.
Of the more than 150 strains of HPV, 40 affect the genital area, but most don’t pose a serious risk to health. A person can be infected with more than one HPV strain at a time. Strains are identified by number and fall into either of the following two categories.
Low-Risk Human Papillomavirus
Infection with most low-risk genital HPV strains doesn’t cause symptoms and disappears when the body builds immunity to the virus. These strains have no association with cancer but can lead to genital warts.
In addition to the vulva and the penis, warts may appear on the cervix or vagin* in women, the scrotum in men, or in and around the anus in men or women. Warts may also appear in the mouth and throat. Two strains of HPV, types 6 and 11, cause 90 percent of these warts. Only about 1 percent of sexually active Americans have noticeable genital warts, which require treatment to prevent the spread to other genital areas and to sexual partners.
Some low-risk HPV strains can cause mild cervical dysplasia, abnormal changes in the cells on the surface of the cervix. These changes are not precancerous.
High-Risk Human Papillomavirus
Infection with high-risk HPV can lead to more extensive cervical dysplasia and certain types of cancer. There are at least 12 high-risk strains of HPV, but only two—types 16 and 18—cause the majority of HPV-related cancers, including those involving the cervix, vagin*, vulva, penis, and anus. High-risk HPV strains can also lead to cancers of the throat, tongue, and tonsils, known as oropharyngeal cancer.
Researchers believe that HPV infections of the mouth and throat may be caused by oral sexual contact with someone who has an active high-risk infection. It’s important to remember, however, that for most people, the immune system rids the body of HPV within two years. Although infection with high-risk HPV strains can cause cancer, most people infected with these strains don’t develop cancer.
FAQs
Sexually transmitted HPV types fall into two groups: low risk and high risk. High-risk HPVs can cause several types of cancer. There are 12 high-risk HPV types: HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, and 59. Two of these, HPV 16 and HPV 18, are responsible for most HPV-related cancers.
What are the 14 types of HPV? ›
Several HPV tests have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and detect up to 14 high-risk types (HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68).
What are the 4 strains of HPV human papillomavirus? ›
It targets four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) -- HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18. HPV-16 and HPV-18 account for about 70% of all cervical cancers.
Are there 100 types of HPV? ›
There are over 100 different kinds of HPV and not all of them cause health problems. Some kinds of HPV may cause problems like genital warts. Some kinds of HPV can also cause cancer of the cervix, vagin*, vulva, or anus. Most of these problems are caused by types 6, 11, 16 or 18.
How do I know what type of HPV virus I 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.
What type of HPV goes away? ›
Low-Risk Human Papillomavirus
Infection with most low-risk genital HPV strains doesn't cause symptoms and disappears when the body builds immunity to the virus. These strains have no association with cancer but can lead to genital warts.
What is the deadliest HPV? ›
High-risk HPV strains include HPV 16 and 18, which cause about 70% of cervical cancers. Other high-risk human papillomaviruses include 31, 33, 45, 52, 58, and a few others. Low-risk HPV strains, such as HPV 6 and 11, cause about 90% of genital warts, which rarely develop into cancer. These growths can look like bumps.
How to get HPV out of your system? ›
There is currently no cure for an existing HPV infection, but for most people it would be cleared by their own immune system and there are treatments available for the symptoms it can cause. You can also get the HPV vaccine to protect yourself against new infections of HPV which can cause genital warts or cancer.
Is HPV an STD? ›
Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. HPV is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, during vagin*l, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus.
How to know if HPV is gone? ›
Most strains of HPV go away permanently without treatment. Because of this, it isn't uncommon to contract and clear the virus completely without ever knowing that you had it. HPV doesn't always cause symptoms, so the only way to be sure of your status is through regular testing. HPV screening for men isn't available.
The 14 most cancer-causing HPV types include types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68. Types 16 and HPV 18 are most commonly associated with development of cancer, together accounting for about 70% of invasive cervical cancers. However, not all infections with HPV 16 or 18 do progress to cancer.
What are the symptoms of HPV positive? ›
These appear as flat lesions, small cauliflower-like bumps or tiny stemlike protrusions. In women, genital warts appear mostly on the vulva but can also occur near the anus, on the cervix or in the vagin*. In men, genital warts appear on the penis and scrotum or around the anus.
What are the 15 types of HPV? ›
There are 15 high risk HPV types (16,18,31,33,35,39,45,51,52,53,56,58,59,66 and 68). Among these 15 high risk HPV types, HPV types 16 and 18 cause approximately 70% of cervical cancers. Therefore, developing a quick, early, and easy way to detect high-risk HPV is critical for women's healthcare.
What is HPV type 33? ›
HPV33 is a high-risk HPV within the same phylogenetic species (alpha-9) as HPV16 (Bernard et al., 2010; de Villiers et al., 2004) and accounts for approximately 5% of cervical cancer cases worldwide, with some variation in this proportion by geographical region (Guan et al., 2012; Li et al., 2011).
What does HPV in the mouth look like? ›
Symptoms of HPV in the mouth can include small, hard, bumps or growths. They may be slightly raised or flat, and they may be painless. In most cases, the immune system clears human papillomavirus (HPV) from the body before it can cause a full infection and symptoms.
Is HPV 16 or 18 worse? ›
Several studies have found that patients diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer and infected by HPV 18 have worse prognosis.
Are there harmless types of HPV? ›
Most HPV infections go away on their own and don't cause any health problems. However, if HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts. It also can cause certain kinds of cancer. We do not know why HPV causes health problems in some people and not others.
How many human papillomavirus infections are there? ›
HPV infections are very common. Nearly everyone will get HPV at some point in their lives. More than 42 million Americans are infected with types of HPV that are known to cause disease. About 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected each year.
