What are the symptoms of HPV infection?
Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected because many types of the virus remain latent and cause no symptoms. The most easily recognized sign of genital HPV infection is genital warts, which only appear if one has contracted a specific kind of HPV and the infection is active. (However, one may spread the virus even if he or she does not have warts.) Warts may look like tiny bunches of cauliflower or like flat, white areas that may be difficult to see. Many people have a genital HPV infection without genital warts. Some of these types of the virus are ones most associated with precancerous and cancerous changes to the cervix, making diagnosis important. How is HPV diagnosed? Health professionals diagnose HPV through medical history and physical examination. Women with genital warts should be examined for possible HPV infection of the cervix. Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap tests. A Pap test is the primary cancer-screening
