HPV and paps

[Hades]

Will hpv (genital warts) show on a papsmear if no cutaneous warts are visible ?

[coquina]

Here's a fact sheet about them from The National Institute of Allergy and Infectios Diseases:

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdhpv.htm

 

"Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. More than 100 different types of HPV exist, most of which are harmless. About 30 types are spread through sexual contact. Some types of HPV cause genital warts—single or multiple bumps that appear in the genital areas of men and women including the vagina, cervix, vulva (area outside of the vagina), penis, and rectum. Many people infected with HPV have no symptoms.

 

There are high-risk and low-risk types of HPV. High-risk HPV may cause abnormal Pap smear results, and could lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis. Low-risk HPV also may cause abnormal Pap results or genital warts."

 

 

"HOW ARE HPV AND GENITAL WARTS DIAGNOSED?

 

Your health care provider usually diagnoses genital warts by seeing them. If you are a woman with genital warts, you also should be examined for possible HPV infection of the cervix.

 

Your provider may be able to identify some otherwise invisible warts in your genital tissue by applying vinegar (acetic acid) to areas of your body that might be infected. This solution causes infected areas to whiten, which makes them more visible. In some cases, a health care provider will take a small piece of tissue from the cervix and examine it under the microscope.

 

If you have an abnormal Pap smear result, it may indicate the possible presence of cervical HPV infection. A laboratory worker will examine cells scraped from your cervix under a microscope to see if they are cancerous."

 

A pap smear is only going to detect the warts if they are on your cervix, whether you have visable genital warts or not.