How is HPV diagnosed? (in men and in women)

The best way to know if a person has HPV is through diagnostic tests that include the observation of warts, pap smears, peniscopy, hybrid capture, colposcopy or the performance of a blood test, which may be requested by the gynecologist in the case of the women or a urologist in the case of the men.

When the tests for the detection of the human papilloma virus are positive, it means that the individual has the virus but will not necessarily have symptoms of cancer, and treatment may not be necessary. When the exam to detect the HPV is negative, it means that the person is not infected with the human papilloma virus.

1. Clinical evaluation

The initial diagnosis of HPV is performed by an infectious disease specialist, gynecologist or urologist through observation in the genital area with the aim of identifying the presence of lesions or warts that indicate the suspicion of HPV infection.

In the case of the man, the doctor can perform a penoscopy, which is an examination in which the doctor uses a device similar to a magnifying glass to look for small lesions in the penis that may indicate HPV infection. In case of doubt, a small scraping of the area is carried out and the sample is sent for analysis in the laboratory. Find out more about penoscopy.

2. Pap smear and colposcopy

Pap smears and colposcopy are routine preventive exams for women and women with the objective of identifying alterations in the external and internal zone of the genital organ that may indicate infections or uterine cancer, for example.

The pap smear consists of performing a scraping of the uterine skin with the help of an instrument similar to a swab, and the material is sent to the laboratory for analysis. Despite being a test primarily to assess the health of women, the pap smear is not sufficient to diagnose cervical cancer, nor to determine the subtypes of the HPV virus.

In this way, a colposcopy can also be performed, in which a contrast is applied to the uterus with the aim of identifying lesions that are not visible at first sight and being able to take a sample of the lesion so that it is analyzed, known as a biopsy . Normally, this test is requested when altered cells are visualized under the microscope that are suggestive of an HPV infection.

3. Serology for HPV

The serological tests are usually requested with the objective of identifying antibodies circulating in the organism against the HPV virus and the results can indicate an active infection or being only a consequence of the vaccine.

Despite the low sensitivity of this issue, the serology for HPV requests the doctor for the investigation of the infection by this virus, and that according to the result of the exam, he can evaluate the need to carry out other exams.

4. Hybrid capture

Hybrid capture is a more specific molecular test to identify HPV, as it is able to identify the presence of the virus in the organism, although there are no signs or apparent symptoms of the illness.

This test consists of taking small samples of the vaginal wall and the uterus, which are sent to the laboratory for analysis with the aim of identifying the genetic material of the virus in the cell. The hybrid capture exam is mainly performed when changes in the pap smear and/or colposcopy are observed.

As a complement to this exam, it is also possible to carry out the PCR molecular exam in real time (reaction in the polymerase chain), and by means of this it is possible to confirm the quantity of virus in the organism and the doctor can evaluate the severity of it infection and, therefore, indicate the most appropriate treatment to reduce the risk of complications, such as uterine cancer, for example. Find out how the treatment for HPV is carried out.

See the following video for a simple explanation of how to treat HPV: