What causes abnormal paps?
The majority of abnormal paps are caused by an infection with a virus known as the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease. The majority of people do not have any symptoms of the infection and will clear the infection on their own. There are over 100 strains of HPV and over 30 of them are involved with genital infections. The different strains are categorized into “low risk” and “high risk” groups. High risk strains cause abnormal paps and can lead to cancer of the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus or penis. Low risk strains can cause mildly abnormal changes in pap smears and also cause genital warts.
