There are more than 100 types of HPV, most of which cause infection without any symptoms and will clear. However, some strains of the virus can cause infections with serious consequences.

About 30 types of HPV are known as genital HPV since they affect the genital area. Some types can cause cervical cancer or abnormal in the lining of the cervix that could turn into cancer. HPV type 16 and 18 account for an estimated 70% of all cervical cancers, while other cancer causing HPV types are associated with about half of all vaginal, vulvar and penile cancers, and about 85% of anal cancers.

*Non-cancer causing HPV types 6 and 11 have a negligible risk of progressing but may persist, and account for 90% of all genital warts.

HPV is also responsible for nearly all juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis – a rare disease acquired through the vertical transmission of HPV from mother to infant, characterized by warts in the throat of the child. HPV may not show any signs or symptoms, so people can transmit the virus without even knowing it. Because the virus is transmitted via the skin, even non penetrative sexual contact can result in passing on the virus to another person.

How do You know if You have contracted HPV?
Most people infected with HPV do not know they have it. HPVrelated cervical lesions can be detected by Papanicolaou (Pap) test, or Pap smear. A Pap test is the primary cancer-screening tool for cervical cancer or pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, many of which are related to HPV.

A HPV DNA test can also identify 13 of the cancer causing HPV types associated with the development of cervical cancer. Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap test results. There is no laboratory test available to detect HPV infection in men.
How is HPV treated?
Unfortunately, at current moment, there is no known cure for HPV infection yet. However, HPV-related lesions and warts can be treated by freezing and destroying the affected tissues, removal using a hot wire loop and conventional surgery.

Cervical Cancer and Precancerous Lesions
Cervix , is the part of the uterus (or womb) that connects to the vagina. Sometimes, cells in the lining of the cervix begin to grow in abnormal ways. This precancerous condition is called dysplasia, and it can go away without treatment for some women.

However, dysplasia may need to be treated to keep it from developing into cancer. Cervical cancer develops when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix begin to grow out of control, and when these abnormal cells later invade other parts of the body, it is called metastasis.
Abnormal cervical cells sometimes form benign (noncancerous) tumors ; they do not spread and are usually not harmful. Malignant (cancerous) tumors, however, spread from their sources and can grow into life-threatening cancers.