HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted disease; both men and women can contract human papillomavirus and experience symptoms. Most strains of human papillomavirus go away without treatment and do not cause serious symptoms. However, four strains of human papillomavirus, types 6, 11, 16 and 18, cause genital warts or genital cancers in patients.
Genital Warts
Both men and women can have genital warts as a symptom of the human papillomavirus. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the warts are caused by the "low-risk" type of human papillomavirus. Two strains of human papillomavirus, type 6 and 11, cause 90 percent of genital wart cases. These warts can appear on the vulva, vagina, anus, cervix, penis, scrotum, groin or thigh. Genital warts can be raised or flat, small or large, and single or multiple. In addition, the genital warts can also appear as cauliflower-shaped. Onset of genital warts ranges from weeks to months after infection.
Respiratory Lesions
According to the Mayo Clinic, oral and upper respiratory lesions can form as a result of both the "high-risk" and "low-risk" strains of human papillomavirus. These lesions can occur on the patient's tongue, larynx, tonsils, nose and soft palate.
Additional Warts
Besides the genital warts and respiratory lesions, other warts can form as a result of a human papillomavirus infection. According to the Mayo Clinic, round nonmalignant warts appear on the patient's hands, fingers or cuticles. Plantar warts on the feet are also symptoms of the human papillomavirus. Flat warts form on the patient's elbows, face, neck, hands, wrist and knees and are darker in color. All of these warts can be uncomfortable; they can bleed or be painful. However, only a small percentage of human papillomavirus patients develop warts, and are more common in younger patients.
Cervical Cancer
The two "high-risk" strains of human papillomavirus, types 16 and 18, can cause cervical cancer in women. According to the Mayo Clinic, human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 account for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. During a woman's annual gynecological visit, she is given a Pap smear, which can detect the presence of cervical cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of cervical cancer do not appear until the cancer is advanced. The most common symptom of cervical cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as bleeding between periods or excessively heavy menstrual bleeding.
Anal Cancer
Anal cancer also results from human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 in men and women. According to the CDC, symptoms of anal cancer may not always be present in patients. Possible symptoms include anal bleeding, changes in bowel habits or shape of the stool, pain, itching, discharge, and swollen lymph nodes in the anal or groin area. Anal Pap smears have been used for high-risk persons: HIV positive men, bisexual men and homosexual men; however, the CDC does not recommend anal Pap smears for the detection and prevention of anal cancer. According to the CDC, not enough clinical research has been done on the effectiveness of removing abnormal cells.
Penile Cancer
The last symptom of human papillomavirus, penile cancer, is also caused by types 16 and 18 of the virus. Like cervical cancer, there may be no symptoms of penile cancer until it has become advanced. According to the CDC, the first symptoms of penile cancer include skin thickening, change in color and build up of tissue around the penis. When the penile cancer enters the later stages, sores can grow on the penis. Most of the time, the sores are painless, but some patients may experience bleeding or pain.
