HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS

The term Human papillomavirus (HPV) refers to a group of viruses which cause warts on the skin and the genital region. HPV is a very common genital infection, with the prevalence rates of 30% to 40% in young adults. Genital HPV infections represent the most common sexually transmitted disease. Their numbers have been ever increasing in the last three decades, being three times more common compared to genital herpes. These are mostly transient infections, with mild, asymptomatic course. Most of them spontaneously heal in a period of eight months to two years. Around 50 HPV types infect the anogenital region and are predominantly transmitted by sexual contacts. The association of HPV infection and cervical cancer led to the universal recognition that HPV is the required causal agent for cervical cancer to occur. Cancer of the cervix uteri is the most common female cancer in developing countries. Worldwide, about 500.000 women acquire the disease annually and about 75% are from developing countries. About 300.000 women die of the disease annually. Lately, more and more attention has been focused on HPV-related intraepithelial neoplasms of the external genitals in both sexes, with already well- studied association ofHPVand cervical intraepithelial neoplasms.