How to Check for Genital Warts?

Update Date: 2024-11-04 Source: Network

There are many ways to check for genital warts, such as inquiring about medical history, observing appearance, vinegar white test, colposcopy, and so on. It is recommended that patients undergo relevant examinations in formal hospitals under the guidance of doctors.

1. Inquiring about medical history: For patients with genital warts, they generally have a history of unprotected sexual activity, hugging, kissing, etc., and bathing in public bathrooms, coming into contact with contaminated clothing, daily necessities, etc. If a patient has a history of unprotected sexual activity, genital warts can be indirectly judged;

2. Observing appearance: In the early stages of genital warts, patients may develop light red papules on the external genitalia, vaginal opening, and other areas. If the papules gradually enlarge, they can develop into proud lesions resembling nipples or cauliflower, with a white or gray surface that is relatively rough;

3. Vinegar white test: This refers to soaking gauze in a 3%-5% acetic acid solution and wrapping or applying it to the suspicious skin or mucous membrane surface, then removing it after 3-5 minutes. At this point, typical genital wart lesions will appear as white papules or wart-like growths, while subclinical infections will manifest as white spots or plaques;

4. Colposcopy: A colposcope is a special magnifying glass mainly used to observe cervical mucosa, which can magnify cervical features 20-40 times for examining the external genitalia and epithelia. If there is acetic white epithelium on the cervical epithelium, further iodine testing is required. Subclinical infections may manifest as white spots or plaques.