This is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause dysplasia (cell changes in the cervix), condylomata, and also cervical cancer (in neglected dysplasias). Today we know that there are more than 200 types of the virus.
About 10 of these are high-risk types (the most common in cases of cervical cancer), with types 16 and 18 found in about 75% of cancer cases. They infect the genital area of both sexes (vagina, cervix, rectum, penis and scrotum), but in some cases they have also been isolated in the upper respiratory tract and lungs.
HPV Typing
Because HPV viruses fall into different categories and differ in risk level, when the Pap test reveals abnormalities of the cervix, it is often necessary to type the virus.
"Typing" means determining the type of the virus and classifying it according to its risk level. Further follow-up depends on the result of the typing (if a high-risk virus is found, follow-up should be more frequent).