Human papillomavirus is one of the most common diseases to which no one is immune.According to medical statistics from the World Health Organization, about 70% of the world's population is infected with HPV, and most infected people are not even aware of their disease.Despite many years of research into the nature of the papilloma virus, scientists have not yet found a way to completely cure it.Today it is only possible to suppress the activity of the pathogen, but under the influence of certain unfavorable factors it returns with renewed vigor.
Routes of infection with HPV
The papilloma virus is an unpleasant disease that causes the appearance of genital warts (condylomas), growths on the skin, as well as papillomas on the mucous membranes of the larynx and oral cavity.In fact, HPV itself does not pose a particular danger to human health, but its external symptoms negatively affect the appearance, cause pain when damaged and can even cause oncology.Due to the risk of a malignant tumor, this disease must be treated immediately, otherwise the consequences will be irreversible.
Human papillomavirus infection spreads very quickly.Transmission occurs mainly in utero during pregnancy (from mother to child) or through contact:
- by shaking hands;
- embrace;
- when touching a patient on public transport;
- during sexual intercourse with an infected person.
In second place is the household electrical circuit.In this case you can catch the virus:
- through animal fur;
- if you use other people's personal hygiene items;
- when wearing clothing or shoes that belong to an infected person;
- at the time of visiting public swimming pools, ponds and showers.
Activation of HPV does not occur immediately.Often the disease becomes noticeable one to two years after entering the body or does not manifest itself at all.If no external symptoms are detected, a person infected with the papilloma virus belongs to a group of carriers and becomes a carrier of the disease.This infection can be detected without external signs only after laboratory diagnostics, but few people think about it until the disease enters the active phase.
An interesting fact is that the external signs of the disease in pregnant women are of a temporary nature.The reason for this is that during pregnancy, the expectant mother's immune system, which previously kept the infection in a latent form, is weakened.After childbirth, the protective functions of the woman's body are restored and the disease can disappear on its own.
Papilloma virus: degree of oncogenicity and types of growth
All existing types of papillomaviruses are divided into several categories depending on the degree of oncogenicity:
- safe growth;
- neoplasms with a low probability of turning into cancer;
- papillomas with average risk of developing a cancerous tumor;
- particularly dangerous neoplasms.
Based on data from medical practice, particularly dangerous types of papilloma viruses in most cases (70-94%) affect the female body.It causes precancerous lesions in urology and gynecology, such as cervical cancer.
Types of papillomas
All papillomas are divided into several groups depending on their appearance and location:
- Warts– plantar on the feet, vulgar on the fingers, juvenile (flat) growths on the skin;
- Genital warts– Genitals, area near the anus, mucous membranes in the vagina, oral cavity, lips.
In addition, tumors can develop on the vocal cords.In this case it is called laryngeal papillomatosis.It is commonly diagnosed in newborns and in women infected with condylomatosis.
Important!
If you do not consult a doctor in a timely manner, the papilloma virus can enter an advanced stage and a person will develop many different growths of varying oncogenicity throughout the body.It will be very difficult to combat mass papillomas.
Diagnosis of the disease
If you notice signs of papillomavirus on the skin, you should immediately contact an infectious disease specialist or a dermatologist.If growths appear on the genitals, the patient must consult a gynecologist (for women) or a urologist (for men).The doctor is obliged to conduct a visual examination and make an initial diagnosis.The patient is then sent for examination.This is a mandatory procedure because, in addition to HPV, there are many other diseases whose external symptoms are very similar to the signs of papillomavirus infection.
PCR analysis
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most common method of laboratory diagnostics.Blood, swabs of the skin or mucous membranes of the genital organs are used as biomaterial.
After taking a tissue sample from the patient, laboratory workers use special enzymes that copy RNA and DNA particles of the human papilloma virus from the biomaterial.They are then “searched” through an infectious disease database to determine the type of infection and its concentration.
There are many reasons why PCR analysis is the main method for diagnosing papilloma viruses.Among them, the main advantages of this method should be highlighted:
- increased sensitivity – the disease can be detected immediately after entering the body;
- Versatility – absolutely any biomaterial is suitable for analysis;
- large coverage area – allows simultaneous identification of all HPV types present in the body;
- Speed of analysis – results are known within a few hours;
- high accuracy - the technique never gives false results (exceptions are violations of the technology for performing diagnostic measures, which occurs extremely rarely).
In addition, it should be noted that the cost of the analysis is acceptable.The price of PCR is significantly lower compared to other methods of HPV diagnosis.
Digene HPV test
Not so long ago, Digene technology appeared in medicine, with which it is possible to detect all types of human papillomavirus infections, from low oncogenicity to particularly dangerous types of the disease.Although this technique is new, it is rapidly growing in popularity.For example, in European countries it has already been recognized that it is more effective than PCR analysis.
The main advantage of the Digene HPV test is that, unlike PCR, it can not only identify the papilloma virus and determine the type of disease, but also determine the degree of its oncogenicity.This allows the doctor to better select treatment and reduce the likelihood of developing cancer due to HPV to a minimum.
A secondary positive feature of this diagnostic method was the accurate determination of the concentration of viral cells in the body.When decoding tests, doctors pay attention to this feature, since it is on this basis that the course of therapy is selected.
All methods of treating human papillomavirus
HPV is not a death sentence!It is impossible to get rid of it completely, but it is quite possible to live without its external manifestations.
The treatment regimen for human papillomavirus infection includes three phases:
- Removal of external signs of disease (growths);
- completion of drug therapy;
- Strengthening the immune system to prevent relapses.
The entire HPV healing process must be carried out under medical supervision.Unauthorized changes can lead to health problems or impair the effectiveness of medication prescribed by a specialist.
Important!
Doctors admit the possibility of independently using additional methods to combat the virus (traditional medicine, spells, healing baths), but before using them, you should inform the doctor about this.
Basic methods for removing growths
It is not recommended to remove growths on your own, since any damage to the papilloma or condyloma can lead to the transformation of the remnants of the neoplasm into a cancerous tumor.To safely eliminate external symptoms of infection, you should use professional techniques:
- Freezing with liquid nitrogen;
- destruction by radio waves;
- electrocoagulation;
- Laser therapy.
General contraindications to hardware removal of papillomas are:
- the presence of chronic diseases that are in the acute stage at the time of the visit to the medical center;
- damage to the skin at the site of growth;
- suspicion of malignancy of the neoplasm;
- Skin infections.
Additionally, the client may be denied surgery if he or she is under the influence of drugs or drunk.
Removal of the growth with a scalpel
In some particularly advanced cases, the patient must seek the help of a surgeon.This radical method of combating growths is prescribed only if the papilloma has grown by more than 4-5 cm or the person has contraindications to one or another cosmetic procedure.
Surgery is the only effective way to remove large warts and large groups of tumors.Its disadvantages were:
- the appearance of a scar after surgery;
- need for anesthesia (local or general anesthesia);
- long rehabilitation period.
chemotherapy
If there is a small, single papilloma, the patient can receive chemotherapy.It is based on the use of drugs for external use, which penetrate into the deep layers of the epidermis and destroy the growth base.As a result, under the influence of aggressive chemical compounds, it dies and falls off, leaving a barely noticeable depression.
The disadvantage of this method of treatment is that the components of antipapilloma products also burn healthy skin cells.In addition, chemotherapy cannot remove condylomas and warts in the mouth or genitals due to the risk of damage to the mucous membranes.
Course of drug treatment
To date, it is not known how papilloma viruses can be cured permanently.The action of all existing drugs against HPV is aimed at suppressing the activity of the infection and strengthening the immune system, which can independently block the development of the disease.
Complex drug therapy includes several types of drugs:
- antiviral;
- immunostimulants;
Antiviral drugs stop the development of infection, and immunostimulants strengthen the body's protective functions, as a result of which the disease subsequently remains latent.
The choice of a specific drug depends on the individual characteristics of the patient's body.
Injections have become an alternative to oral medications.
Strengthening the immune system
Unlike antiviral and immunostimulating drugs, vitamin complexes can be selected based on the patient's personal preferences.They are not the basis of therapy and are among the means that are intended to support the human body in the fight against infections.
Important!
If desired, tablet vitamins can be replaced with healthy foods.To compensate for the lack of nutrients in the body and restore its protective functions, it is enough to switch to plant foods rich in vitamins E, C, D.
Prevention of papilloma viruses
There are several groups into which all existing preventive measures against papilloma viruses are divided:
- Infection prevention, taking into account the spread of infection (primary prevention);
- early diagnosis of the disease;
- Protecting the body from reinfection after therapy.
In the first case, a person must protect himself from infection in every possible way.To do this he needs:
- Stop having promiscuous sex.
- Wash your hands after visiting public places.
- pay attention to personal hygiene;
- Avoid visiting dubious beauty salons (precisely because of insufficient disinfection of cosmetic or manicure instruments, the probability of becoming infected with the papilloma virus in a beautician's office is quite high);
- eat well;
- Wear shoes when visiting swimming pools or spas;
- strengthen your immune system;
- Clean your home regularly.
Despite following these recommendations, there is still a small risk of becoming infected with HPV.Therefore, doctors insist on regularly visiting an infectious disease specialist and submitting biomaterial for analysis.This will help identify the virus in the incubation period and quickly eliminate it.
If an infection still occurs and the disease begins to manifest itself externally, preventive measures are of no use.Only a specially selected treatment will help here, after which care must be taken to prevent a relapse of the disease.To do this, you need to apply the rules of primary prevention and remain under medical supervision for another 2-3 weeks.
Will the HPV vaccine protect women?
Although there is no 100% cure for papillomavirus, women can avoid contracting some cancerous types of the disease.Two drugs have been developed for this purpose.
These active ingredients are administered as a solution for injection and help protect the body against different types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 33, 45).
Vaccination with these agents takes place in three steps:
- The first dose is given on the day of the injection;
- Second dose – after 60 days;
- The third dose occurs six months later.
After vaccination, the body acquires the ability to kill virus cells whose DNA was part of the drug, provided the person was not previously infected with them.Therefore, before injecting the drug, a woman undergoes mandatory laboratory diagnostics.
In order for the immunity to be as strong as possible, the vaccination should take place before the age of 18.Some developed countries have made this procedure compulsory and all high school students undergo it.
If necessary, you can get a paid vaccination in a private clinic.