Genital warts (also known as ano-genital warts, venereal warts, Condyloma, or Condylomata acuminate,) are highly contagious. They are transmitted during sexual contact and are now known to be caused by certain strains of HPV (human papillomavirus) affecting both men and women. Genital warts do not appear until two to four weeks after sex and sometimes several months may elapse before the warts become apparent. Although they are usually painless, they may be associated with itching or produce a burning sensation. Genital warts are not life-threatening, but they can cause stress, and affected people may feel uncomfortable in new or existing relationships.

They often occur in clusters appearing as soft, moist, pink, or flesh-coloured swellings that can spread into large masses in the genital area. They can be flat. They are not visible during the early stage of development, so that at this time transmission may occur without a partner being aware that they are affected. Genital warts can develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sex.

Genital warts are the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection seen at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the UK. It is estimated that as many as 6 million new cases of genital warts are diagnosed in the United States each year. The condition is becoming more prevalent.

They can occur at any age but the prevalence peaks at 20-24 years. If a toddler has genital warts, sexual abuse should be considered although one must bear in mind that the virus could have been acquired during childbirth.

Until the 19th century, genital warts were believed to be a form of syphilis or gonorrhoea but we now know that certain strains of HPV prove to be the culprits. Genital warts are highly contagious. If a child develops genital warts, sexual abuse could account for this, although it is feasible that the infection may have been acquired during delivery. Other common types of HPV that cause warts on the hands and the soles of the feet do not cause genital warts. Rarely, the virus is transmitted from a mother to her baby during childbirth (vertical transmission). It is a popular myth that you can catch genital warts from a towel, doorknob, a toilet seat or the swimming pool. They can be caused by strains 6, 11, 30, 42, 43, 44, 45, 51, 52 and 54 of HPV; types 6 and 11 are responsible for 90% of genital warts cases. HPV types that tend to cause genital warts are not the same ones as those that cause cervical cancer (types 16 and 18). Genital warts are only rarely passed on from warts affecting other parts of the body.

Genital warts are transmitted primarily by sexual intimacy, and the probability of infection increases in relation to the number of sexual partners. Smoking, oral contraceptives, multiple sex partners, and early coital age are risk factors for acquiring genital warts. Growth may be more rapid during pregnancy or when a person's immune system is weakened by diabetes, HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, Hodgkin's disease or taking anti-rejection drugs following an organ transplant. Non-smokers are less likely to develop genital warts than smokers.

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