6 Silent HPV Symptoms

HPV refers to a group of over 150 viruses that are related. Most people do not realize that at some point in time they will likely be infected with at least one or possibly more types of HPV. The symptoms that come from the human papillomavirus infection will depend on what type of virus the person has. About 75 percent of the types of HPV will cause some type of common skin wart.

These may appear anywhere on the body, but most of the time show up on the hands and the feet. The other types of HPV infect mucosal surfaces on the body. Some types of HPV cause genital warts while others cause cellular changes known as dysplasia. Dysplasia can progress into cancer. In many cases, a person with HPV will have no symptoms at all. Let’s take a closer look at some of the silent symptoms of HPV.

1. Genital Warts

One of the most common symptoms of the human papillomavirus infection is genital warts. While it may seem odd to list this as a silent symptom of the disease, the fact of the matter is that many people will notice these warts and simply not pay much attention to them. However, genital warts are an alert to the fact that there is some type of infection in the body. These warts may be flat lesions, a stem like outgrowth, or even bumps that look similar to cauliflower.

Women typically find these warts on the vulva. However, they may also appear on the vagina, anus, or the cervix. In men, the anus, scrotum, and penis are all affected by these warts. In most cases the genital warts do not cause any pain. However, some people who develop genital warts will find that they are quite itchy. If you develop warts of any kind in the genitals, have them checked out by your doctor.