Skin-to-skin contact can pass virus

Dear Dr. Gott: Please teach me about warts. If they are contagious, how is the virus transmitted? Will touching, drinking from the same glass, kissing and/or having sex with someone who has warts cause them to be transmitted? Can a person be a carrier without actually having warts? Why, other than the obvious reason, are genital warts more serious than run-of-the-mill warts on the hands?

Dear Reader: Warts are caused by viruses that are spread by direct (and often prolonged) skin-to-skin contact. For example, brushing against a wart on a person’s hand will not usually result in infection with the virus, whereas sexual intercourse is more likely to lead to transmission.

Some warts are more easily spread than others.

Wart viruses can exist in the skin for variable periods before lesions appear. In particular, men without visible genital warts can infect their partners, unless condoms are used.

Warts often disappear without treatment; the immune system takes care of the viruses. Those warts that remain can usually be cured by the application of prescription medication, chiefly Podofilox.

One final, important consideration: genital warts in women (from the papilloma virus) have been consistently associated with cancers of the reproductive tract. Therefore, any woman with such warts should be aggressively treated by her gynecologist; moreover, her partner(s) must be meticulously examined for nonvisible warts by a urologist or dermatologist, using special tests.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Contraception.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: My husband, a marathon runner, has been advised by his physician to have knee replacement surgery. Because an artificial knee lifespan is only about eight years, he’s concerned that a second, future replacement might be necessary. In Europe, ceramic products are used, instead of metal, for knee replacement, and appear to fuse better. What is your opinion?

Dear Reader: I am not familiar enough with European ceramic prostheses to advise you. To my knowledge, the U.S. artificial knee is a splendid product that works well and enables patients to maintain normal levels of activity for many years.

The lifespan of the prosthesis will, of course, depend on how strenuously it is used. A sedentary person may well enjoy his artificial knee for a lifetime; a runner may find his wearing out in a matter of years.

Ask your husband’s orthopedic surgeon to give him a valid estimate of how long the prosthesis will function given your spouse’s level of activity.