Causes of the appearance and types of warts on the human body

photo of warts on the human body

Warts are not viral malignancies formed by overgrown cells of the epithelium and epidermis in the form of convex, rounded or elongated growths on the skin and mucous membranes. Such unusual growths affect both adult men and women and children. They tend to spread, grow and be able to transform into cancerous tumors. Therefore, the pathology should not be allowed to go its own way, but treatment should be started as early as possible.

What causes warts and what they look like

What causes warts to disappear on their own? The proven cause of warts is the activity of human papillomavirus (HPV), and subcutaneous processes are only a visible manifestation of viral aggression. Therefore, they are called papillomas.

The microorganisms penetrate the tissues through microdamages of the mucous membranes of the mouth, genitals, microtraumas on the skin and are transmitted between people in the following ways:

  • close contact (touching, kissing, shaking hands) with the carrier of the virus;
  • care for sick animals;
  • hygiene items, toys, books, clothes and other things;
  • intimacy, including anogenital contacts. This mode of transmission, typical of adults, leads to the appearance of wart processes in the groin, perineum, mouth and anus (during oral-anal sex);
  • shaving, peeling, nail treatment, cosmetic procedures;
  • self-infection or autoinoculation.

Epithelial formations occur only when favorable conditions for the reproduction of microorganisms appear.

human papillomavirus as a cause of warts

The latency period in which the virus does not manifest itself varies from 4-6 weeks to 5-6 months or more, which is related to the strength of the infected person's immunity. It should be remembered that there may be no unusual growths on the body of a human carrier and it is very easy to become infected with it, although for a long time the external signs of pathology do not appear.

Provoking factors under the influence of which warts can appear on the human body are:

  • weakening of immunity in case of emotional overload and long-term illnesses;
  • fluctuations in hormone levels characteristic of pregnancy, puberty, menopause;
  • urogenital infections (chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis);
  • prolonged stress loads;
  • frequent damage, abrasions, cuts, scratches;
  • sweating, which leads to a moist and warm environment rich in bacteria on the skin;
  • lack of hygiene;
  • indiscriminate sexual relations;
  • tight shoes made of synthetic materials, causing profuse sweating of the feet, maceration of the skin, creating ideal conditions for the growth of warts on the feet;
  • radiation exposure.

The group of those who become infected more often than others include:

  • fans of swimming in the pool, visitors to baths, saunas;
  • adolescents and adults attending gyms;
  • cleaners, nurses, farm and poultry workers, food processors who develop warts on their hands and palms;
  • people working in dangerous workshops in the field of metallurgical, chemical, mining production.

More than 65 subtypes of the HPV causative agent have been identified. Most of them have not yet been completely eliminated with drugs.

Views

The type, location and spread of warts determine age, level of local and general immunity, type of HPV, living and working conditions.

There are the following main types of warts:

  1. Usually, usually.Vulgar warts are the most common epithelial growths that cover the palms, hands, fingers, elbows, grow on the head, nose and eyelids, on the edges of the lips, and sometimes in the mouth. Such warts are found in both men and women and children. A vulgar wart looks like a water bubble or a roughly keratinized nodule with jagged edges of flesh color, pink-gray and yellow-brown color. The size of the individual nodes varies from the size of a sunflower seed to a pea. But the disease is characterized by the fact that the warts can merge, forming large growths. Among the many small and large warts there is usually the most massive - "mother". And if you completely get rid of it, then the other growths disappear on their own.
  2. Peringual. . . It is a type of simple wart that usually grows with neurosis in patients - most often children and adolescents - who bite their nails and bite their fingertips. In this case, the elimination of disorders in the field of psychosomatics helps to prevent the recurrence of growths, which is quite common even after cutting or burning them.
  3. filamentous wart on the skin
  4. Filiform warts (arachnoid).Seals of this type resemble elastic dark brown or yellowish-pink growths with a size of 1 - 4 mm, acquiring an elongated shape during growth. In medicine they are called acrochords. Filamentous warts appear in the elderly, but have recently been diagnosed in young patients. Acrochords are localized in areas with thin skin without a pronounced layer of fat - on the neck, eyelids, underarms, groin, nipples and under the mammary glands. They are able to grow together, forming an epidermal formation up to 3-4 cm in size. Itching and redness around the legs are possible. The pronounced tendency to self-infection and the spread of such skin disease proves that fibrous formations are viral warts, and the fact that their appearance in a patient often occurs against the background of pregnancy, obesity, menopause, shows that the provoking factor of their development ishormonally unstable conditions. Hanging warts also belong to the filamentous formations, but differ in structure in that they first appear in the form of soft nodules, then extend in length, becoming elongated formations 6-10 mm in size, hanging on the leg.
  5. Flat (youthful).It is observed in 4 - 5% of patients affected by viral-dermatological disease, aged 10 to 25 years. They look like small (2 - 5 mm), slightly convex, smooth, yellowish skin elements, rounded along the contour or with uneven edges. The pathology is characterized by multiple rashes on the neck, face, back and chest, thighs and limbs. They can grow in the mouth, the head of the male organ, the cervix, in the rectum. On the tongue, the youthful warts look like rounded, slightly protruding spots, slightly different in color from the color of the tongue.
  6. plantar wart on the foot
  7. Plantar warts. . . This is a type of vulgar subcutaneous wart diagnosed in adults. Such growths develop in those areas of the feet where the maximum load is obtained when walking - 3-4 cm below the toes, on the heels (with additional squeezing with tight shoes). The group with a high predisposition includes women who prefer tight high-heeled shoes, military men, travelers, people who spend a long time on their feet. They appear in the form of very dense keratinized formations of flesh or gray color, often with a depressed center. Among them is a nuclear wart, with roots deeply rooted in the body of the sole, which is characterized by severe pain when walking, sometimes to the point of injury. Subcutaneous warts are similar in appearance to nuclear corns, but have a different structure. To distinguish these neoplasms, after steaming the foot, the loose stratum corneum is carefully removed: the surface of the corn is uneven, flesh-colored, and the body of the viral wart resembles a small cauliflower inflorescence with black dots (hemorrhages) extending intodepths. Excessive sweating of the feet promotes the spread of growths and their fusion. Also, doctors distinguish in a separate group such types of tumors as spines.
  8. Seborrheic.Seborrheic or senile warts, often referred to by another term - keratomas, refer to those rare types of growths that are not associated with virus aggression. Usually such neoplasms develop in people over 55-60 years. They look like grayish or dark brown plaques with pronounced uneven outlines, covered with a loose stratum corneum, slightly protruding above the skin. The size of the formations varies from 5 mm to several centimeters. Seborrheic warts on the body cover the skin of closed parts of the body - back, chest. They also appear and form on the face and neck, under the scalp.
  9. genital warts on the skin
  10. Genital warts.These are benign, pink-bodied, long, warty growths on a pedicle with a spatulate structure. When they merge, they look like a rooster's comb when rubbed, they acquire a bright color and quickly begin to bleed if damaged. Genital warts develop in intimate places, in the perineum, on the genital mucosa, in the groin and folds between the buttocks, and around the anus, which is why they are called anal, genital or anogenital warts. In children, such formations are found on the face in the nose and mouth. In most cases, genital warts appear due to the aggression of 11 types of papilloma virus. From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first growths it takes from 4 weeks to 3 - 6 months, which depends on the body's resistance and additional factors. Unpleasant-looking growths on the female genitals occur much more often than in men, which is explained by the specifics of the anatomy and the peculiarities of the environment in the vaginal canal.
  11. Internal wartslocalized in the thickness of the cervix and vaginal tissues, making it impossible to identify during a routine examination. In this case, the gynecologist performs a colposcopy. Internal warts can be found on the walls of the vagina, at its entrance, in the area of the urethra and anus.
  12. Hyperkeratotic warts- not smooth, but keratinized warts, which are often localized on the male organ and scrotum. Among the genital warts there are also flat formations, similar to slightly protruding spots on the skin, which are very difficult to notice.

Warts in children

Although papillomatous viruses of various types affect the skin of people of all ages, warts are more common in children and growing boys and girls.

This is due to lack of immune protection and greater susceptibility to infections, hormonal changes in adolescence, close communication of children in kindergartens, including sports complexes, frequent microtraumas of the palms and soles during games and physical education.

Particular emphasis should be placed on the route of infection of infants who are infected with the virus when passing through the birth canal of an already infected mother with HPV.

Usually in children aged 5-16 years there are vulgar, flat growths on the fingers, hands and palms, feet, knees and elbows.

Flat youth warts can go away on their own when a teenager grows up and local immune defenses and the body's overall resistance increase - at the age of 16-18.

Why are warts dangerous?

While papillomas are small and solitary, they are ignored unless they are damaged by clothing, shoes, or spoiled appearance. And only when there are too many of them or they are actively growing, the patient begins to worry. What health risk can these epithelial growths pose?

Treatment of warts should not be delayed, as this can lead to unpredictable and serious consequences. And because papillomas are contagious, there is a high risk of transmitting the virus to young children, close relatives, colleagues, relatives, a newborn baby who will be attacked by HPV during birth if the mother is infected.

In the absence of diagnosis and adequate therapy, the following complications are possible:

  1. The active spread and increase in the size of neoplasms, which disfigures the appearance and leads to psychological trauma.
  2. Damage and infection of the papilloma itself and adjacent tissues with further suppuration and development of abscess and other purulent-septic conditions.
  3. Destruction of nails from nail growths, especially when pyogenic bacteria penetrate into the cracks of the nail bed.
  4. Formation of giant warts (often in the anogenital area) that grow in the thickness of the dermis, destroying neighboring tissues.
  5. Malignant degeneration. In the tissues of many papillomas located in places with permanent damage (in the mouth, on the tongue, under the arm, on the genitals), changes can occur, leading to cancerous transformation of the cells. Most often, warts are caused by the activity of medium and high-risk HPV viruses (6, 18, 31, 33, 45). A great threat to health and life are genital warts, which can be precursors and cause the development of cervical cancer. A special danger of malignancy is characteristic of internal warts in the female genitals. The presence of a high-risk virus in the body increases tenfold the probability of developing cancer.
  6. Bleeding from the urethra, acute urinary retention, development of cystitis and inflammation of the ureters and kidneys (if warts grow in the urethra).

You should be alert and consult a dermatologist immediately if the wart bleeds, itches, hurts, changes shape or turns black, grows rapidly, or abnormal growths begin to spread to the body, face, or genitals.

Diagnosis

determining the type of warts on the skin

The specialist can diagnose a wart of viral and other origin at the initial examination in 94-96% of patients based on external signs. But laboratory and instrumental tests are needed to internalize the education or to identify the likelihood of a cancerous process. A blood test for HPV is performed for a complete diagnosis.

Depending on the location of the accumulation, they apply:

  • routine gynecological examination to examine the vaginal canal and cervix;
  • colposcopy (if you suspect internal warts in the tissues of the cervix and vagina);
  • Ultrasound - if necessary, to assess the depth of germination of the plantar wart;
  • urethroscopy - prescribed if there is a suspicion of the formation of formations in the outer opening of the urethra;
  • anoscopy - when examining genital warts in the anal canal;
  • biopsy (sampling of a microfragment of tissue) for subsequent examination of the biomaterial for histology and cytology, especially in case of atypical course of the disease and suspicion of cancer of the neoplasm.

Also, warts should be distinguished from other pathologies occurring with outwardly similar manifestations and symptoms, these are:

  • pigmented nevi, dermatofibromas;
  • molluscum contagiosum;
  • lichen planus;
  • papular necklace of the penis;
  • verrucous tuberculosis of the skin;
  • calluses, horny syphilitic papules (with growths on the feet);
  • micropapillomatosis of the labia minora;
  • syphilitic warts;
  • cancer of the skin and mucous membranes (melanoma, cancer).

Based on the results of all tests performed, the dermatologist develops the treatment that is necessary for a particular patient.

Treatment and removal of warts

The treatment of warts is possible with the help of various techniques. In some cases, they are disposed of with drugs (with the use of drugs and external agents).

professional ways to remove warts

To get rid of papillomas requires active use of antiviral drugs and various removal methods, which are selected by a specialist, taking into account the type of warts, the degree of spread, skin type and age of the patient. An important part of treatment is the use of drugs that strengthen the immune system.

When infected with certain types of papillomavirus against a background of strong immunity, the patient experiences cases of self-medication.

If HPV is found with abundant growths, doctors prescribe surgery to remove it. There are the following methods for surgical removal of skin lesions:

  • cauterization with chemicals;
  • removal of warts with liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction);
  • electrocoagulation;
  • surgical excision;
  • laser and radio wave wart removal.

All methods have their own indications and contraindications, which the doctor takes into account when choosing a removal technique.

There are absolute indications for mandatory removal of papillomas:

  • diagnosis of anogenital warts of any location;
  • localization on the inner walls of the cervix, in the urethra;
  • suspected oncological process;
  • rapid growth of education;
  • constant bleeding, crying surface;
  • active distribution in the body;
  • change in shape, shape, appearance of a tuber;
  • darkening or discoloration of the formation;
  • soreness, itching, redness and inflammation;
  • localization in places of permanent injury, friction, pressure from clothes or shoes.

A mandatory part of therapy is the appointment of drugs that strengthen the body's defenses, including local immunity.

Among the main recommendations for preventing the appearance of epidermal growths are:

  • limiting close contact with strangers;
  • excluding touching the skin of people who have unusual growths;
  • strict approach in the selection of a sexual partner with mandatory use of protective equipment and subsequent treatment of the mucous membrane of the external reproductive organs;
  • compliance with the rules of personal hygiene (especially for those at risk);
  • regular intake of vitamins and vitamin complexes to support and strengthen the defenses.

Which doctor should I see if I have warts on my skin and mucous membranes? A dermatologist deals with common warts. The treatment of genital warts and human papillomavirus infection is performed by a dermatologist-venereologist. If there is any doubt about the benign quality of the lesions, the patient should be examined by an oncologist.