Human papillomavirus is one of the most common diseases that no one is immune to.According to medical statistics provided by the World Health Organization, about 70% of the world's population is infected with HPV and most infected people are unaware of their disease.Despite long-term research on the nature of papillomavirus, scientists have not yet found a way to completely cure it.Today it is only possible to suppress the activity of the causative agent of this disease, but under the influence of certain unfavorable factors it will return with renewed vigor.
The route of HPV infection
Papillomavirus 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 threat to human health, but its external symptoms spoil the appearance, cause pain when damaged, and can even cause oncology.Due to the risk of malignant tumors, this disease must be treated immediately, otherwise the consequences are irreversible.
Human papillomavirus infection spreads very quickly.It is mainly transmitted in utero during pregnancy (from mother to child) or through contact:
- through a handshake;
- embrace;
- when touching patients on public transport;
- during sexual intercourse with an infected person.
In second place is the household circuit.In this case, you can catch the virus:
- through animal fur;
- when using other people's personal hygiene products;
- when wearing clothes or shoes belonging to an infected person;
- when visiting public pools, pools, baths.
HPV activation does not happen immediately.Often, the disease makes itself felt a year or two after entering the body, or even not manifest at all.If no external symptoms are detected, then a person infected with papillomavirus moves into the carrier group and becomes a spreader of the disease.This infection can be detected if there are no external signs only after undergoing 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 temporary.The reason lies in the fact that during pregnancy, the immune system of the expectant mother is weakened, which previously kept the infection in latent form.After childbirth, the protective function of the woman's body is restored, and the disease can disappear on its own.
Papillomavirus: degree of oncogenicity and type of growth
All existing types of papillomaviruses are divided into several categories depending on the degree of oncogenicity:
- safe growth;
- neoplasms with a low chance of turning into cancer;
- papillomas are at an average risk of developing cancerous tumors;
- especially malignant neoplasms.
Based on medical practice data, especially dangerous types of papillomavirus in most cases (70-94%) affect the female body.It causes precancerous conditions in urology and gynecology, such as cervical cancer.
Types of papillomas
According to their appearance and location, all papillomas are divided into several groups:
- warts– plantar on the feet, rough on the fingers, young growth (flat) on the skin;
- genital warts– genitalia, the area near the anus, mucous membranes in the vagina, oral cavity, lips.
In addition, tumors can develop on the vocal cords.In this case, the disease is called laryngeal papillomatosis.It is often diagnosed in newborns and in women infected with condylomatosis.
Important!
If you do not consult a doctor in time, the papillomavirus can enter an advanced stage and a person will develop many different growths of various degrees of oncogenicity throughout the body.It will be very difficult to fight mass papilloma.
Disease diagnosis
If you detect any signs of papillomavirus on the skin, you should immediately contact an infectious disease specialist or a dermatologist.If tumors appear on the genitals, the patient should visit a gynecologist (for women) or a urologist (for men).The doctor is responsible for conducting a visual examination and making the main diagnosis.After this, the patient is sent for examination.This is a mandatory procedure, because in addition to HPV, there are many other diseases, the external symptoms of which are very similar to the signs of papillomavirus infection.
PCR analysis
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most common laboratory diagnostic method.Blood, scrapings from the skin or mucous membranes of the genital organs are used as biomaterials.
After taking a sample of the patient's tissue, the laboratory staff uses a special enzyme that copies RNA and DNA particles of the human papilloma virus from the biomaterial.Next, they are "run" through the infectious disease database, identifying the type of infection and its concentration.
There are many reasons why PCR analysis is the main method for diagnosing papillomavirus.Among them, it is worth highlighting the main advantages of this method:
- increased sensitivity - the disease can be detected immediately after it enters the body;
- versatility – any biomaterial is suitable for analysis;
- large coverage area - allows you to identify all types of HPV present in the body at one time;
- speed of analysis - results are known within a few hours;
- high accuracy - the technique never gives wrong results (exceptions include violations of the technology for carrying out diagnostic measures, which are very rare).
In addition, it should be noted that the cost of the analysis is acceptable.The price of PCR is much lower than other methods to diagnose HPV.
Digene HPV Test
Not so long ago, Digene technology appeared in the medical field, which made it possible to detect all types of human papillomavirus infections, from low levels of oncogenicity to dangerous types of disease.Despite the fact that this technique is new, it quickly gained popularity.For example, in European countries it has already been recognized as more effective than PCR analysis.
The main advantage of the Digene HPV test is that, unlike PCR, it is able not only to identify the papillomavirus and determine the type of disease, but also to determine the level of oncogenicity.Thanks to this, doctors can choose treatment more accurately and reduce the chances of getting cancer due to HPV to a minimum.
A secondary positive feature of this diagnostic method is the accurate determination of the concentration of viral cells in the body.When interpreting the test, the doctor pays attention to this feature, because based on it 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 start life without its external manifestations.
The treatment regimen for human papillomavirus infection includes three stages:
- Removal of external signs of disease (growth);
- Completing a drug therapy course;
- Strengthens the immune system to prevent recurrence.
The entire process of healing from HPV must be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.Making changes to it yourself can cause health problems or reduce the effectiveness of medications prescribed by a specialist.
Important!
The doctor allows the possibility to freely use additional methods to fight the virus (traditional medicine, spells, medicated baths), but before using them, you should tell the doctor about this.
The basic method of removing tumors
Ia tidak disyorkan untuk mengeluarkan pertumbuhan sendiri, kerana sebarang kerosakan pada papilloma atau kondiloma boleh mencetuskan transformasi sisa neoplasma menjadi tumor kanser.To get rid of external symptoms of infection safely, you should use professional techniques:
- freezing with liquid nitrogen;
- destruction of radio waves;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser therapy.
General contraindications for hardware removal of papillomas are:
- the presence of chronic diseases that are in the acute stage at the time of visiting the medical center;
- damage to the skin at the location of the growth;
- suspicion of neoplasm malignancy;
- skin infection.
In addition, the client can be denied surgery if he is under the influence of drugs or drunk.
Removal of the growth with a scalpel
In some more advanced cases, the patient needs to seek help from a surgeon.Radical methods to combat this growth are prescribed only when the papilloma has grown more than 4-5 cm or the person has contraindications to one or another cosmetic procedure.
Surgery is the only effective way to get rid of large warts and large groups of tumors.The disadvantages are:
- the appearance of scars after surgery;
- the need for anesthesia (local or general);
- long recovery period.
Chemotherapy
If there is a single small papilloma, the patient can use chemotherapy.It is based on the use of drugs for external use, which penetrate into the inner layer of the epidermis and destroy the base of the growth.As a result, under the influence of aggressive chemical compounds, it dies and falls off, leaving an almost imperceptible depression.
The downside of this treatment method is that the components in antipapilloma products also burn healthy skin cells.In addition, chemotherapy cannot remove condylomas and warts found in the mouth or genitals due to the risk of damage to the mucous membrane.
Drug treatment course
Until now, it is not known how to cure papillomavirus forever.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 prevent the development of the disease.
Complex drug therapy includes several types of drugs:
- antivirus;
- immunostimulants;
Antiviral drugs stop the development of infection, and immunostimulants strengthen the body's protective functions, which in turn keep the disease latent.
The choice of a particular drug depends on the individual characteristics of the patient's body.
Injections have become an alternative to oral drugs.
Strengthens the immune system
Unlike antiviral and immunostimulating drugs, vitamin complexes can be selected according to the patient's personal preferences.They are not the basis of therapy and belong to means aimed at supporting the human body in the fight against infection.
Important!
If desired, vitamin tablets can be replaced with healthy food.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 papillomavirus
There are several groups into which all existing preventive measures for papillomavirus are divided:
- infection prevention, taking into account how infections spread (primary prevention);
- early diagnosis of disease;
- protect the body from re-infection after undergoing a course of therapy.
In the first case, a person must protect himself in every possible way from infection.To do this, he needs:
- stop having promiscuous sex;
- wash your hands after visiting public places;
- maintain personal hygiene;
- avoid visiting dubious beauty salons (it is precisely because of insufficient disinfection of cosmetic or manicure tools that the possibility of contracting papillomavirus in the cosmetologist's office is quite high);
- eat well;
- wear shoes when visiting the swimming pool or shower;
- strengthen your immune system;
- Clean your house regularly.
Even following these recommendations, there is still a small chance of contracting HPV.Therefore, doctors insist on frequent visits to infectious disease specialists and submit biomaterials for analysis.This will help to identify the virus in the incubation period and quickly get rid of it.
If, however, an infection occurs, and the disease begins to manifest itself externally, then no preventive measures will be beneficial.Only specially selected treatment will help here, after which you need to be careful to prevent recurrence of the disease.To do this, you need to use the main preventive rules and stay under the supervision of a doctor for another 2-3 weeks.
Does the HPV vaccine protect women?
Despite the fact that there is no 100% cure for papillomavirus, women can avoid infection with some types of diseases that are dangerous for cancer.Two drugs have been developed for this purpose.
This agent is given as an injectable solution and helps protect the body against several types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 33, 45).
Vaccination using this method occurs in three stages:
- The first dose is on the day of injection;
- Second dose - after 60 days;
- The third dose is six months later.
After vaccination, the body acquires the ability that allows it to kill the cells of the virus, the DNA of which is part of the medicine, provided that the person was not previously infected with it.Therefore, before injecting the drug, a woman undergoes mandatory laboratory diagnostics.
In order for immunity to be as clear as possible, vaccination should be done before the age of 18.Some developed countries have made this procedure mandatory, and all high school students undergo it.
If necessary, you can take advantage of paid vaccinations at private clinics.