Contents
Human papillomavirus. Video
The human papillomavirus (HPV), affecting the surface of the body and affecting epithelial cells, is dangerous not only from an aesthetic point of view.
Some types of this DNA-containing virus are oncogenic and can provoke the development of not only benign pathologies of the skin, but also cause precancerous diseases of the reproductive system, as well as squamous cell carcinoma.
Overview of Human Papillomavirus
Today, doctors have already identified about a hundred strains of this virus, which, when detected, are simply assigned serial numbers.
They are all classified into three types:
non-oncogenic, these include strains numbered 1, 2, 3, 5
viruses with a low level of oncogenic risk – strains numbered 6, 11, 42, 43, 44
viruses with a high level of oncogenic risk – strains numbered 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 68
Only those strains that are most common are mentioned.
This virus is also dangerous because, in case of infection, most of the time it may not manifest itself in any way, without giving away its presence with a single symptom. It can be infected not only sexually, but also by contact or contact-household way, and at the same time, the virus, hiding in the body, for the time being will behave latently, activating at some opportunity associated with a decrease or loss of immunity.
Such an asymptomatic infection does not need treatment, although the virus will live on the skin and mucous membranes, passing from one person to another.
Thus, a diagnosed HPV is not a reason to suspect your partner of infidelity, a newborn child can become infected with it, passing through the birth canal of the mother. The infection could well have occurred at a very early age, and the symptoms appeared many years after that. There are already known cases when infection with this virus occurred by the respiratory route when its particles were inhaled by a surgeon who performed an operation to evaporate genital warts with a laser. Infants who become infected from the mother have condylomatosis of the larynx, and infected children aged 5 years have respiratory papillomatosis, which affects the vocal cords and causes hoarseness.
The presence of a virus in the larynx can trigger cancer
External signs of HPV infection
Most often, papillo-viral infection manifests itself as genital warts – single or multiple papillary outgrowths on the mucous membranes. In women, the place of their dislocation is often the inner surface of the labia minora, the vagina, the cervix, the area around the opening of the urethra. In men, the groin is affected, condylomas are concentrated around the glans penis and even on the inner surface of the foreskin. It is rather difficult to see them on the body, but when washed away, they can be detected by touch as an uneven surface of the mucous membrane. Many women perceive this as a physiological feature of their body and do not pay attention to this pathology.
The insidiousness of this virus also determines the high prevalence of the disease. Most people are infected with it and do not even know about it, continuing to infect not only their family members, but also strangers. Physicians may rather be surprised by the absence of this virus in the patient’s body than by its presence.
Normally, the surface of the mucous membranes should be even and smooth, if any roughness is found, consult a doctor
HPV can also appear as warts on the skin that are the same color as the body. But, unlike ordinary benign papillomas, they can appear and disappear depending on the state of immunity at the moment. In youth, when the immunity is strong enough, the infected organism can cope with the virus on its own and leave no trace of it after 2-3 months. Unfortunately, with age, the likelihood of this greatly decreases.
Genital warts can have a confluent form, forming multiple outgrowths on the body in the form of cauliflower, as well as flat, which is most often found on the cervix.
Flat warts are a sign of a long-standing infection that has already taken on a chronic form and provoked changes in the epithelial cells of the cervix
These changes over time can acquire an oncological nature, therefore, when this type of HPV is detected, a biopsy and histology are shown, which will help in clarifying the diagnosis. From the pathology of the cervix, cancer can develop, which has recently become younger. The average age of women suffering from this disease is already approaching 40 years.
Of the oncological diseases of the genital area, cervical cancer ranks second after breast cancer
How to treat human papillomavirus
If you are among those 90% of the population diagnosed with HPV, you should not despair, although it will not be possible to completely remove the virus and the body, antiviral drugs will help stop the development of its external manifestations. Genital warts, papillomas of a viral nature, as well as chronic cervicitis or squamous cell metaplasia, revealed during histological studies, are amenable to antiviral treatment, and in some cases even it is not required. But if such treatment turns out to be powerless against flat warts, as in the case of detection of cervical oncology, you should think about removing the affected tissue by surgery.
How to protect yourself from the virus?
Obstetrician-gynecologist of the highest category.
– Gynecologists often joke that the most reliable way not to get infected is not to have sexual intercourse. Nothing gives other 100% guarantees.
As I said, it is wrong to believe that a condom is a panacea for all diseases, including HPV. It covers only part of the male genital organs. But, of course, this does not mean that you can not use this type of contraception! Condoms in any case reduce the risk of diseases of the reproductive system, infections and viruses.
Vaccination is an effective method of protecting certain highly oncogenic virus types against HPV. In many developed countries, this procedure is included in the National Vaccination Calendar. In Russia there is no. But, of course, the vaccine is most useful before the onset of sexual activity, and not when it is already necessary to sound the alarm and treat the existing disease.