Anogenital warts
- R Maw,
- on behalf of the HPV Special Interest Group of BASHH
- Correspondence to: Dr Raymond Maw Department of GU Medicine, Royal Group of Hospitals, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK; raymond.maw{at}royalhospitals.n-i.nhs.uk
- Accepted 31 August 2006
- AIN, anal intraepithelial neoplasia
- CIN, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
- HPV, human papillomavirus
Anogenital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There have been more than 90 HPV types sequenced. The common types causing genital warts are types 6 and 11. These are usually referred to as low risk HPV types indicative of their low or absent oncogenic potential.1 Both male and female patients independent of sexual orientation attending a genitourinary medicine clinic should have the anogenital skin examined under good light as part of a routine assessment. The presence of exophytic warts should be noted. Speculum examination of female patients is a routine component of female genitourinary examination and the presence of vaginal or cervical warts should be noted. Anogenital warts are essentially a cosmetic problem but often cause patients considerable psychological and psychosexual distress. They are therefore usually highly motivated to have warts detected and removed.
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Visual examination, which may be aided by a magnifying glass, is the only …
