Human papillomavirus is one of the most common diseases from which no one is immune.According to medical statistics provided by the World Health Organization, around 70% of the world's population is infected with HPV and most of the infected people are not even aware of their disease.Despite long-term research into the nature of the 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 the disease, but under the influence of certain unfavorable factors it will return with renewed vigor.
Routes of HPV infection.
Papillomavirus is an unpleasant disease that causes the appearance of venereal warts (condylomas), growths on the skin and 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 developing a malignant tumor, this disease must be treated immediately, otherwise the consequences will be irreversible.
Human papillomavirus infection spreads very quickly.It is mainly transmitted within the uterus during pregnancy (from mother to child) or by contact:
- through handshakes;
- encompass;
- when touching a patient on public transportation;
- during sexual relations with an infected person.
Second is the domestic circuit.In this case, you can contract the virus:
- through animal skins;
- when using other people's personal hygiene items;
- when wearing clothing or shoes that belong to an infected person;
- when visiting public swimming pools, ponds, showers.
HPV activation does not occur immediately.Often the disease makes itself felt one or two years after entering the body, or even does not manifest itself at all.If no external symptoms are detected, a person infected with the papillomavirus becomes part of a group of carriers and becomes a spreader of the disease.This infection can be detected in the absence of 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 for this is that during pregnancy the immune system of the future mother is weakened, which previously kept the infection latent.After childbirth, the protective functions of the woman's body are restored and the disease can disappear on its own.
Papillomavirus: level of oncogenicity and types of growths.
All existing types of papillomaviruses are divided into several categories depending on the level of oncogenicity:
- sure growths;
- neoplasms with low possibilities of transformation into cancer;
- papillomas of medium risk of developing a cancerous tumor;
- Especially dangerous neoplasms.
According to data from medical practice, especially dangerous types of papillomaviruses in most cases (70-94%) affect the female body.It causes precancerous conditions in urology and gynecology, such as cervical cancer.
Types of papillomas
Depending on their appearance and location, all papillomas are divided into several groups:
- warts– plantar on the feet, vulgaris on the fingers, youthful growths (flats) on the skin;
- genital warts– genitals, area near the anus, mucous membranes of the vagina, oral cavity, lips.
Additionally, 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 a timely manner, the papillomavirus can enter an advanced stage and a person will develop many different growths with varying levels of oncogenicity throughout the body.It will be very difficult to combat massive papillomas.
Diagnosis of the disease.
If you detect any signs of papillomavirus on the skin, you should immediately contact an infectious disease specialist or dermatologist.If growths appear on the genitals, the patient should visit a gynecologist (for women) or a urologist (for men).The doctor is obliged to conduct a visual examination and make a primary diagnosis.After this, the patient is sent for examination.This is a mandatory procedure, since 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 laboratory diagnostic method.Blood, skin scrapings or mucous membranes from the genital organs are used as biomaterial.
After taking a tissue sample from the patient, laboratory staff use special enzymes that copy the human papillomavirus RNA and DNA particles from the biomaterial.Next, they “scan” a database of infectious diseases, identifying the type of infection and its concentration.
There are many reasons why PCR analysis is the main method for diagnosing papillomavirus.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 you to identify all types of HPV that are present in the body at the same time;
- speed of analysis: results are known within a few hours;
- high precision - the technique never gives incorrect results (exceptions include violations of the technology for carrying out diagnostic measures, which is extremely rare).
Furthermore, it should be noted that the cost of the analysis is acceptable.The price of PCR is much lower compared to other HPV diagnostic methods.
Digene HPV Test
Not long ago, Digene technology appeared in medicine, with which it is possible to detect all types of human papillomavirus infection, from low levels of oncogenicity to especially dangerous types of disease.Even though this technique is new, it is rapidly gaining 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 is capable of not only identifying the papillomavirus and establishing the type of disease, but also determining the level of its oncogenicity.Thanks to this, the doctor can more correctly select treatment and minimize the likelihood of developing cancer due to HPV.
A secondary positive feature of this diagnostic method was the accurate determination of the concentration of viral cells in the body.When deciphering the tests, doctors pay attention to this feature, since the course of therapy is selected based on it.
All methods of treatment of human papillomavirus.
HPV is not a death sentence!It is impossible to get rid of it completely, but it is quite possible to start living without its external manifestations.
The treatment regimen for human papillomavirus infection includes three stages:
- Removal of external signs of disease (growths);
- Complete a course of drug therapy;
- Strengthen the immune system to prevent relapses.
The entire HPV healing process should be done under the supervision of a doctor.Making changes yourself can cause health problems or reduce the effectiveness of medications prescribed by a specialist.
Important!
Doctors allow the possibility of independently using additional methods of combating the virus (traditional medicine, spells, medicinal baths), but before using them the doctor must be informed about this.
Basic methods for removing growths
It is not recommended to remove the growths on your own, since any damage to the papilloma or condyloma can provoke the transformation of the remains of the neoplasm into a cancerous tumor.To safely get rid of the external symptoms of infection, you must use professional techniques:
- freeze 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 site of growth;
- suspicion of malignancy of the neoplasm;
- skin infections.
Additionally, the client may be denied the operation if he or she is under the influence of drugs or in a state of intoxication.
Excision of the growth with a scalpel.
In some particularly advanced cases, the patient will need to seek the help of a surgeon.This radical method of combating growths is 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 remove large warts and large cluster tumors.Its disadvantages were:
- the appearance of a scar after surgery;
- need for anesthesia (local or general);
- long rehabilitation period.
chemotherapy
If there is a small, single papilloma, the patient can use chemotherapy.It is based on the use of drugs for external use, which penetrate into the deep layers of the epidermis and destroy the base of growth.As a result, under the influence of aggressive chemical compounds, it dies and falls off, leaving a barely noticeable depression.
The disadvantage of this treatment method is that the components of antipapilloma products also burn healthy skin cells.In addition, chemotherapy cannot eliminate condylomas and warts located in the mouth or genitals due to the risk of damaging the mucous membranes.
Pharmacological treatment course.
To date, 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 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, which subsequently 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 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 belong to means intended to help the human body in the fight against infections.
Important!
If desired, vitamin tablets 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.
Papillomavirus prevention
There are several groups into which all existing preventive measures against the papillomavirus are divided:
- prevention of infection, taking into account how the infection spreads (primary prevention);
- early diagnosis of the disease;
- protect the body from reinfection after undergoing a course of therapy.
In the first case, a person must protect himself in every possible way from infection.To do this you will need:
- stop having promiscuous sexual relations;
- wash your hands after visiting public places;
- maintain personal hygiene;
- avoid visiting dubious beauty salons (it is precisely due to insufficient disinfection of cosmetics or manicure instruments that the probability of contracting the papillomavirus in a cosmetologist's office is quite high);
- eat well;
- wear shoes when visiting swimming pools or baths;
- strengthen your immune system;
- Clean your house regularly.
Despite following these recommendations, there is still a small chance of contracting HPV.Therefore, doctors insist on periodically visiting an infectious disease specialist and sending biomaterial for analysis.This will help identify the virus in the incubation period and eliminate it quickly.
However, if an infection occurs and the disease begins to manifest externally, no preventive measures will be beneficial.Only specially selected treatment will help here, after which you will need to be careful to avoid a relapse of the disease.To do this, you must follow the rules of primary prevention and remain under the supervision of a doctor for another 2-3 weeks.
Will the HPV vaccine protect women?
Although there is no complete cure for papillomavirus, women can avoid infection with some types of cancer diseases.Two drugs have been developed for this purpose.
These agents are administered as an injectable solution and help protect the body against various types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 33, 45).
Vaccination with these means occurs in three stages:
- The first dose is given on the day of the injection;
- Second dose – after 60 days;
- The third dose is six months later.
After vaccination, the body acquires the capacity that allows it to kill the viral cells whose DNA was part of the drug, as long as the person has not been previously infected with them.Therefore, before injecting the drug, the woman undergoes mandatory laboratory diagnostics.
In order for immunity to be as pronounced as possible, vaccination should be carried out 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 vaccination at a private clinic.