What Are the Symptoms of Female Genital Warts?

Condyloma acuminatum in women is an epithelial proliferative lesion caused by human papillomavirus infection and is one of the important sexually transmitted diseases. Warm and humid vulvar skin and mucous membranes are conducive to its growth and reproduction, and form genital warts of the vulva or vagina. However, not all vulvar vegetations are condyloma acuminatum. The average incubation period of female genital warts is 2 to 3 months. The development of the lesions is not self-limiting. The symptoms are local itching and pain. A few patients have no symptoms. Growth site: vulva, vagina, cervix, perianal, two common parts occur at the same time, the local manifestation is light red or gray papule, wart-like protrusions, often merge to form cauliflower-like vegetation, have a history of sexual disorder, use 5% After the application of acetic acid, the lesions turned white.

Basic Information

Visiting department

Gynecology

Common locations

Vulva, perianal

Common causes

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection

Common symptoms

Pimples on skin lesions, papillary, cauliflower-like, or chicken coronal succulents

Contagious

Have

way for spreading

Sexual transmission

Causes of female genital warts

Bad sex

Sexually transmitted diseases are mostly caused by bad sex. Women are more likely to have genital warts if they have multiple sexual partners. Women who have sexual relations at a young age are also very likely to have genital warts. If they are young, they will have genital warts, which will seriously affect their fertility in the future.

2. Low immune function

Patients with low immune function are easily infected by some diseases, such as lupus erythematosus, malignant tumors, kidney transplants, and those using glucocorticoids. The incidence of condyloma acuminata and the risk of recurrence are doubled, and the warts are large and difficult to treat. For patients with low immune function, they must be careful to protect their bodies, and various preventive measures must be done in life, so as to prevent the occurrence of genital warts.

3. Other sexually transmitted diseases

Some other sexually transmitted diseases are also very likely to cause genital warts in women. Like gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, prion, and fungal infections, these diseases can destroy the mucosal protective barrier, reduce the ability to resist these infections, and make the local environment of the genitals moist, so that the virus can easily breed and reproduce, and it will Causes women with genital warts.

Clinical manifestations of female genital warts

Female patients are very susceptible to genital warts. When female genital warts occur in the vulva, the most typical symptom manifestation is very little reddish color, very soft and small pimples at the beginning of the onset, and later with the development of the disease It gets bigger and bigger, and the pimples will blend or overlap, and the surface looks very uneven, like a wart. Because some areas are very hot and humid and have chronic irritation, the warts will grow quickly and eventually become different in size, such as nipple-like, cauliflower-like, cockscomb-like or mushroom-like. These warts are very nature It is soft and bleeds very easily at the touch.

During the onset of some patients with genital warts, the secretions produced are white, dirty or red, and infiltrate the surface of the warts, causing great inconvenience to the lives of female patients. The root of the wart is very narrow, and it has a pedicle, and its surface is very moist. There are often oozing, erosion, and skin damage. At the same time, there are very purulent secretions in the fissures, which push it in. Prone to bacterial infections and a very strong stench. Symptoms felt by women themselves are very itching, burning or oppression.

Female genital warts check

Acetic acid white test

Use 3 to 5% acetic acid to coat the wart body for 2 to 5 minutes. The lesion area will become white and slightly bulged, and anal lesions may take 15 minutes. The principle of this test is the result of protein and acid coagulation and whitening. The keratin produced by HPV infected cells is different from that produced by normal uninfected epithelial cells. Only the former can be decolorized by acetic acid. The acetic acid white test is very sensitive in detecting HPV, and it is better than conventional tests to observe histological changes. However, occasionally false positives occurred in cases of thickened epithelium or traumatic abrasion, and the signs of false positive whitening appeared to be unclear and irregular. The United States CDC suggests that the acetic acid white test is not a specific test, and false positives are more common.

2. Immunohistological examination

The peroxidase-resistant peroxidase method (ie, PAP) is commonly used to display viral proteins in genital warts to demonstrate the presence of viral antigens in wart lesions. When HPV protein is positive, the superficial epithelial cells of condyloma acuminatum may show a weak reddish positive reaction.

3. Histochemical examination

A small amount of diseased tissue was made into smears and stained with antibodies specific to human papilloma virus. If there is a viral antigen in the lesion, the antigen-antibody is bound to the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method, and the nucleus can be stained red. This method is specific and quick to help diagnosis.

Female genital warts diagnosis

1. Typical skin lesions are pimples on wet parts such as the genitals or perianum, nipple-shaped, cauliflower-like, or chicken crown-shaped fleshy neoplasms, and the surface is rough and keratinized.

2. The acetic acid white test is positive, and a similar erosion pattern can be seen in vivo. The middle is bright red to brown, and the color around it gradually fades.

3. Nucleic acid hybridization can detect HPV DNA related sequences, and PCR detection shows specific HPV DNA amplification bands.

4. Patients often have a history of unclean sex life or a spouse's infection. A few genital warts are infected through contact with contaminated equipment, and newborns can also be infected through the birth canal. The incubation period ranges from 1 to 8 months, with an average of 3 months.

5. Condyloma acuminatum: You can get information about the virus by detecting serum antibodies in your blood. The advanced virus detection system can quickly test the sera to detect three items, namely "virus antibodies, virus types, and virus quantity".

Female genital warts treatment

As there are currently no effective antiviral drugs, the treatment of condyloma acuminatum must be treated comprehensively.

Surgical treatment

For solitary and small genital warts, it can be surgically removed; for large condyloma acuminatum, Mohs' surgery can be used to remove it, and frozen sections are used to check whether the damage has been removed.

2. Cryotherapy

Utilizing liquid nitrogen at a low temperature of -196 ° C, the condyloma acuminatum is treated by compression freezing to promote necrosis and shedding of the wart tissue. This method is suitable for a small number and small area of warts. It can be treated once or twice at intervals of one week.

3. Laser treatment

CO ₂ laser is usually used to treat condyloma acuminatum by cautery. This therapy is most suitable for genital warts of the genitals, penis or perianum. For single or small multiple genital warts, one-time treatment is possible, and for multiple or large genital warts, 2 to 3 treatments are possible, and the interval is generally one week.

4. Electrocautery treatment

Use high-frequency electric needle or electric knife to remove genital warts. Methods: Local anesthesia, then electrocautery, this therapy adapts to a small number and small area of genital warts.

5. Microwave treatment

Using a microwave surgical treatment machine, lidocaine for local anesthesia, insert the tip of a rod-shaped radiation probe into a sharp and wet direct to the base of the wart. When you see the body becomes smaller, the color becomes darker, and it becomes softer and harder, the thermal radiation is solidified. You can then withdraw the probe. The coagulated lesion can be removed with forceps. To prevent recurrence, the remaining basal part can be repeatedly coagulated once.

6. Beta-ray therapy

We have achieved satisfactory results with -rays in the treatment of condyloma acuminatum. This method has high curative effect, no pain, no damage, few side effects, and low recurrence rate. It has clinical promotion value.

7. Drug therapy

(1) This plant is suitable for genital warts in moist areas, such as genital warts that occur on the glans and perineum where the foreskin is too long and has not been circumcised. But cervical condyloma cannot be treated with podophyllum. Apply 20% podophyllum tincture to skin lesions or prior to application, first use oily antibacterial ointment to protect the normal skin or mucous membranes around the lesion, then apply the medicine, 4 to 6 hours after use, use 30% boric acid water or Wash with soap and water, and repeat the medicine after 3 days if necessary. This medicine is the first choice for the treatment of this disease abroad. Generally, it can be used once. However, there are many disadvantages, such as great damage to the tissue, and improper use can cause local ulcers. Toxicity is large, mainly manifested by nausea, intestinal obstruction, leukocytes and thrombocytopenia, tachycardia, urinary occlusion or oliguria, so caution must be taken when using it, and the drug should be discontinued immediately when the above reactions are found.

(2) Antiviral drugs can be applied with 5% phthalate cream or 0.25% herpes net ointment twice daily. Acyclovir is administered orally 5 times a day, or topically with its ointment. Alpha-interferon is injected 3 million units daily and administered five days a week. Or interferon is injected into the base of the wart twice a week. When used for 2 to 3 weeks, the main side effect is influenza-like syndrome. The side effects of topical medication are few and mild.

(3) 30% to 50% trichloroacetic acid or saturated dichloroacetic acid or 18% peroxyacetic acid are commonly used as corrosives or disinfectants. Use 10% salicylic acid glacial acetic acid or 40% formaldehyde, 2% liquefied phenol, and 75% ethanol distilled water 100ml mixed solution, and apply it topically for glans, perianal warts, once or every other day. The disinfectant can be applied externally with 20% iodine tincture, or 2.5% to 5% iodine tincture is injected into the base of the wart body, or topically applied with Xinjieer or 0.1% to 0.2%, which requires systemic therapy.

The above treatment must be performed under the guidance of a physician.