Warts

Warts can evolve spontaneously within months, or persist for years. In children usually heal without medication, however, because of the risk of spreading the virus to others and the appearance of new lesions in oneself by autocontaminação, their treatment is recommended. Already in adults, warts do not usually go away without treatment. There are different therapeutic modalities that lead to destruction or removal of lesions. Each type of wart requires different treatment.

What is it?

Warts are benign proliferations of the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Infection occurs in more superficias layers of the skin or mucosa, activating the abnormal growth of skin cells.

Transmission of HPV occurs through direct contact with people and / or infected objects. Small wounds are necessary for inoculation of HPV, which is why the warts are most common in areas of trauma. You can autoinoculation occur through small wounds that serve as gateway to the virus, also transmission by sexual contact and mother to child via at delivery. Patients with low immunity are most vulnerable to the appearance of warts. The peak incidence occurs between 12 and 16 years.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

The wart appearance varies according to the affected site. Often present without symptoms, vegetative, rough, skin color, but can also be flat, soft and dark. The clinical lesions resulting from HPV infection may present in different ways:

Common warts

Are the most common types. In general, the lesions are irregular, hardened and rough papules. They may present as isolated or grouped lesions in variable number. They are often in areas subjected to major trauma, such as hands, fingers, elbows, knees and around the nails (periungual warts).

Warts threadlike

They appear as thin and elongated projections, generally isolated or few in number. Commonly appear on the face, neck, eyelids and lips, and the incidence is high in older people.

Flat warts

They appear as small papules ("balls") brownish or yellowish, with a maximum of 5 mm, whose main characteristic is to present a flat, smooth surface. Arise most often on the face and back of the hands of teenagers.

Plantar warts

Warts located on the soles of the feet are often mistaken for corns. The weight of the body exerts on them causes grow inside, which causes pain when walking. The presence of a thickened peripheral ring with small dark spots in the center of the lesion resemble the image of a "fish eye", by which they are commonly known.

Genital warts year

They present as vegetative lesions, humid, isolated or grouped, which resemble the appearance of cauliflower (condyloma acuminata). They can affect female and male genital mucosa, urethra, vagina, cervix, perianal region or oral mucosa. There are different viral subtypes involved in the genital infection, being well established relationship between genital infection by certain subtypes of HPV considered high risk and genital cancer, particularly cervical cancer.

Treatment

Anogenital warts are the most difficult to treat and can be nescessária a combination of treatments and often operations to remove the lesions. Because of the risk of causing cancer, this type should be treated carefully.

Prevention

The HPV vaccines are indicated for prevention of genital infection, reducing the risk of progression to genital cancer. It is recommended for girls as young as 9 years old, and be preventive vaccine, preferably should be applied before the onset of sexual activity and is available in health centers. The vaccine for boys is, for now, only available in the private network.