Health Tip: A Word About Warts

(HealthDay News) - A wart is a common but unsightly growth that can occur just about anywhere on the skin, on the genitals, or inside the mouth.

Here is more information about warts, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Warts are caused by a virus.
• Some people seem to have more resistance to the virus, and are less likely to get warts. Others are more susceptible, and may get them frequently.
• Warts on the skin can be passed from person to person -- from skin-to-skin contact, or from using the same towels or other objects that have touched the wart.
• Genital warts are highly contagious, and may be passed from person to person when obvious symptoms aren''t necessarily present.
• If treatment is needed, options may include removal or medication designed to shrink the wart.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: Feb. 29, 2008

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