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Papillomas are called benign neoplasms that occur on the skin, deployed in one particular area, or affect the entire body of the patient.
Most often, they look like small bumps or growths that protrude above the surface of the skin and have a color range from rich pink to dark brown.
Some doctors call these formations “papillary polyps.” They are small in size: from one to two millimeters to several centimeters.
The most common cause of their occurrence is HPV – the human papillomavirus, which contributes to the abnormal growth of tissues, provoking the development of pathological processes at the cellular level.
Such formations can be of a different nature. Most often, papillomas of a non-oncogenic nature are classified, oncogenic neoplasms characterized by a low threshold for the development of cancer cells, as well as papillomas of an oncogenic nature, with a high risk of developing cancer.
Types of anal papillomas
Anal papillomas are benign formations affecting the anus. They are both single and multiple. Often such growths merge, forming large bumpy islands or surrounding the anus with a ring.
Anal papillomas have their own classification in appearance. There are pointed, papular, keratotic and tumor-like papillomas.
The spiky ones look like processes with a thin base and resemble ridges in shape.
Papular papillomas usually have a dark pink color and a bumpy surface, in appearance very reminiscent of ordinary warts. They are found in most cases on the skin of the genital organs. They are characterized by growth and association into small tubercles.
Keratotic neoplasms are growths on the skin that differ from other types in their characteristic hard and dry surface.
Tumor-like papillomas resemble outgrowths with a characteristic swelling, as in tumors. In the area of the anus, neoplasms of this type are practically not found.
Causes of anus papillomas
The main reason for the penetration of the human papillomavirus into the body is a sharp decrease in immunity. Moreover, a person who has become infected with such a disease may simply be its carrier, not even knowing about its existence. According to statistics, almost sixty to eighty percent of the population are carriers of the human papillomavirus.
The weakening of the immune system, which results in the emergence and activation of HPV, can be caused by the following factors:
- childbirth, since according to statistics, the majority of patients who went to the doctor with this problem became infected with anus papillomas during delivery;
- infection through sexual contact, and even condoms cannot give a XNUMX% guarantee of protection against the penetration of this virus into the human body;
- constant stress, susceptibility to neurosis, disruption of the nervous system;
- physical or emotional overwork, systematic lack of sleep, since it is during this period that a significant decrease in the protective properties of the body occurs, leading to the penetration of the human papillomavirus into the patient’s blood;
- poor-quality and irregular nutrition, excessive passion for fatty, salty and spicy foods, fast food, sweet carbonated drinks, which entails a lack of vitamins and beneficial nutrients, which is a beneficial environment for the development and reproduction of pathogens;
- neglect of the rules of personal hygiene, which can provoke the appearance of injuries and severe skin irritation in the anus;
- the presence of inflammatory processes and various infectious diseases, which entail a significant weakening of the immune system, and the lack of proper treatment can lead to the activation of even those viruses that previously did not make themselves felt at all;
- bad habits, smoking, drinking alcohol.
Usually, the emergence and development of HPV is not promoted by any specific reason, but by the presence of a combination of negative factors simultaneously acting on the body. In this case, the immune system suffers significant disturbances and cannot resist the penetration of foreign viruses into the human body.
Signs and symptoms of the disease
Small anal growths usually occur without showing any symptoms. With the growth of papillomas, the first signs of physical discomfort appear, manifested in the following symptoms:
- blood secretions in the feces;
- painful sensations during the act of defecation, since at this time there are multiple injuries of pathological formations;
- severe itching in the anus;
- constant feeling of moisture in the anus;
- a sharp and unpleasant odor provoked by wet spots that form on underwear during the acute stage of condylomatosis;
- bloody secretions on underwear, as a result of friction of growths on underpants and their subsequent injury;
- sensations of a foreign body in the anus;
- pain when walking or sitting.
Usually, with frequent trauma to the growths, an infection enters the affected area, which causes inflammation and the formation of purulent discharge.
Neoplasms cause severe pain, swelling and redness of the skin. Often at the same time, the patient has a high temperature and the general state of health worsens significantly.
Sometimes such growths occur directly in the rectum itself. In such cases, in addition to the above symptoms, there is a feeling of the appearance of a foreign body inside the intestine.
Diagnosis and treatment of the disease
For the diagnosis and treatment of such a disease as anus papillomas, it is necessary to seek advice from a proctologist, who uses the following methods for examining patients:
- Primary visual examination or anoscopy. With this type of diagnosis, the doctor examines the patient’s anus for the presence of papillomas, and also conducts a survey in order to obtain information about the symptoms and signs that bother the patient, about his lifestyle and ever had chronic diseases.
- Coloproctological instrumental examination is an examination of the anus using an optical device with a very high resolution. A special microscope allows you to determine the presence of possible deformations of the rectal epithelium, as well as the severity of the lesion.
If any symptoms occur, it is urgent to seek medical help, since such benign neoplasms very often turn into oncological diseases.
There is no conservative treatment for this pathology. To completely get rid of papillomas of the anus, their complete removal is necessary. There are quite a lot of methods by which the excision or destruction of warts in the anus occurs. Which one is suitable for a particular patient is determined by several qualified specialists – an immunologist, a surgeon, a proctologist and a dermatologist, based on the clinical picture of the disease obtained as a result of the diagnosis, its severity, as well as the individual characteristics of the patient.
Anus papillomas can be removed by the following methods:
- Cryotherapy. This technique is characterized by exposure to papillomas with extremely low temperatures until they are completely frozen. The recovery period after such an operation is quite long, because the method is not particularly accurate in the area of localization. The affected area after the intervention is closed with a cotton patch.
- Electrocoagulation. In contrast to the first method, neoplasms are cauterized with electric current to third-degree burns, forming a white scab on papillomas. This operation is performed under anesthesia and is not used on the mucous membranes of the anal canal.
- By chemical method. In this case, papillomas are removed with the help of a medicinal solution of podophyllin, which affects the formations at the cellular level. This drug is applied to papillomas with a special medical spatula, and then sprinkled with talc. However, this technique has a strong effect on healthy tissues that are in close proximity to benign neoplasms.
- Laser removal of genital warts. The most progressive and most painless method of getting rid of anus papillomas. It has practically no contraindications and does not cause possible relapses of the disease.
Regardless of which treatment method was chosen, after the operation, it will be necessary to perform a mandatory morphological examination of the tissue, for which it is necessary to send it for a biopsy. With any type of surgical intervention, the surgeon performing the operation tries to minimally injure the healthy parts of the anus.
Very often, the removal of genital warts is accompanied by bleeding, so many experts insist on the obligatory cauterization of each papilloma base.
Possible consequences and preventive measures
Since this disease occurs on the basis of the activation of the virus, the simple removal of papillomas will not help to completely get rid of the disease. The feeling of internal physical and aesthetic discomfort may disappear after surgery, but the virus lives in the body for a very long time and most often does not manifest itself at all.
That is why the lack of proper therapy or non-compliance with the recommendations of the attending physician very often leads to a relapse of the disease. The presence of HPV implies constant and regular examinations by a doctor to exclude the return of the virus.
In order to prevent and avoid the recurrence of this disease, the patient is prescribed courses of antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs that help restore immunity and the body’s natural defenses.
In addition, it is also necessary to normalize sleep and nutrition. Often, patients with HPV are shown a dietary program that includes all the necessary vitamins and nutrients in their diet. You should also give up alcohol and smoking, lead a healthy lifestyle. Mandatory in the prevention of anus papillomas is the observance of personal hygiene in the anus, which implies daily thorough cleaning of the skin around the anus.
The fair sex is recommended to have a regular examination by a gynecologist in order to exclude and prevent the occurrence and development of genital warts on the mucous membranes of the cervix and vagina. And men should regularly take swabs from the urethra for testing.
Summing up
Anal papillomas are benign neoplasms located in the anus, caused by the human papillomavirus. This disease can be completely asymptomatic, without causing any discomfort to the patient, however, in advanced stages, such formations can develop into malignant ones. Therefore, it is extremely important, in the presence of even the slightest primary signs indicating the appearance of such a virus, it is necessary to urgently seek advice from a proctologist.
To get rid of papillomas, it is necessary to completely remove them, but this will not save a person from HPV. This disease must be treated with various antiviral and immune-restoring drugs, as well as regularly undergo preventive examinations by a specialist.