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 not even aware of their disease.Despite long-term research into the nature of the papillomavirus, scientists have not yet found a way to fully treat 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 force.
Ways of infection with HPV
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 a malignant tumor, this disease must be treated immediately, otherwise the results will be irreversible.
Human papillomavirus infection spreads very quickly.It is mainly transmitted in the womb during pregnancy (from mother to child) or through contact:
- by shaking hands;
- to embrace;
- when touching a patient in public transport;
- during sexual intercourse with an infected person.
In second place is the household circuit.In this case, you can catch the virus:
- from animal fur;
- when using other people's personal hygiene products;
- when wearing clothes or shoes belonging to an infected person;
- when visiting public pools, ponds, showers.
The activation of HPV does not happen immediately.Often, the disease makes itself felt a year or two after entering the body, or even does not show itself at all.If external signs are not detected, a person infected with the papillomavirus passes into the group of carriers and becomes a spread of the disease.This infection can be detected only after passing laboratory diagnostics in the absence of external symptoms, but few people think about it until the disease enters the active phase.
An interesting fact is that external symptoms of the disease in pregnant women are temporary.The reason for this is that during pregnancy, the immune system of the expectant mother weakens, previously keeping the infection in a latent form.After childbirth, the protective functions of the female body are restored and the disease can pass by itself.
Papillomavirus: level of oncogenicity and types of growth
All existing types of papillomavirus are divided into several categories depending on the level of oncogenicity:
- safe growths;
- neoplasms with a low chance of turning into cancer;
- medium-risk papillomas for the development of a cancerous tumor;
- especially dangerous neoplasms.
According to medical experience, particularly dangerous types of papillomavirus affect the female body in most cases (70-94%).In urology and gynecology, it causes precancerous conditions such as cervical cancer.
Types of papilloma
According to their appearance and location, all papillomas are divided into several groups:
- warts- plantar on the feet, vulgar on the fingers, young (flat) growths on the skin;
- genital warts- genitals, the area near the anus, mucous membranes in the vagina, oral cavity, lips.
In addition, tumors can develop in the vocal cords.In this case, the disease is called laryngeal papillomatosis.It is often diagnosed in newborns and women infected with condylomatosis.
It is important!
If you do not consult a doctor in time, the papillomavirus can go to an advanced stage, and a person will develop many different growths of different levels of oncogenicity throughout the body.It will be very difficult to fight 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 consult a gynecologist (for women) or a urologist (for men).The doctor is obliged to conduct a visual examination and make a preliminary diagnosis.After that, the patient is 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 symptoms of papillomavirus infection.
PCR analysis
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most widely used laboratory diagnostic method.Blood, scraps from the skin or mucous membranes of the genitals are used as biomaterials.
After taking a sample from the patient's tissue, laboratory workers use special enzymes that transfer RNA and DNA particles of the human papilloma virus from the biomaterial.Then they go through the infectious disease database to determine the type of infection and its concentration.
There are many reasons why PCR analysis is the main method for the diagnosis of papillomavirus.Among them, it is worth highlighting the main advantages of this method:
- increased sensitivity - the disease can be detected immediately after entering the body;
- versatility - absolutely any biomaterial is suitable for analysis;
- large coverage - allows to identify all types of HPV present in the body at once;
- speed of analysis - results are known within a few hours;
- high accuracy - the technique never gives false results (exceptions include a violation of the technology of conducting diagnostic measures, which is extremely rare).
In addition, it should be noted that the cost of the analysis is acceptable.Compared to other methods for HPV diagnosis, the cost of PCR is much lower.
Digene HPV test
Not long ago, Digene technology appeared in medicine, with the help of which it is possible to detect all types of human papillomavirus infection, from low oncogenicity to particularly dangerous types of the disease.Although this technique is new, it is quickly 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 can not only identify the papillomavirus and determine the type of disease, but also determine its level of oncogenicity.Thanks to this, the doctor can choose the treatment more correctly and minimize the possibility of developing cancer due to HPV.
The 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, because 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 consists of three stages:
- Elimination of external signs (growths) of the disease;
- Completing a course of drug therapy;
- Strengthen the immune system to prevent relapses.
The whole process of recovery from HPV should be done under the supervision of a doctor.Making changes on your own can cause health problems or reduce the effectiveness of medications prescribed by a specialist.
It is important!
Doctors allow you to independently use additional methods of fighting the virus (traditional medicine, spells, medicinal baths), but before using them, you should inform the doctor about this.
The main methods of removing growths
It is not recommended to remove the growths yourself, because any damage to the papilloma or condyloma can cause the remnants of the neoplasm to turn into a cancerous tumor.To reliably get rid of external infection symptoms, you need to use professional methods:
- freezing with liquid nitrogen;
- destruction of radio waves;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser therapy.
General contraindications for the removal of papillomas with a device are:
- the presence of chronic diseases in the acute stage when applying to the medical center;
- skin damage at the site of growth;
- suspicion of malignancy of the neoplasm;
- skin infections.
In addition, the operation may be refused if the client is under the influence of drugs or drunk.
Cutting the growth with a scalpel
In some particularly advanced cases, the patient will need to seek help from a surgeon.This radical method of combating growth is prescribed only if the papilloma grows more than 4-5 cm or if the person has contraindications to this or other cosmetic procedures.
The only effective way to get rid of large warts and large groups of tumors is surgery.Its disadvantages were:
- the appearance of a scar after surgery;
- the 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 that penetrate deep layers of the epidermis and destroy the basis of growth.As a result, it dies and collapses under the influence of aggressive chemical compounds, but leaves a noticeable depression.
The downside of this treatment method is that the components of antipapilloma products also burn healthy skin cells.In addition, chemotherapy cannot eliminate condylomas and warts localized in the mouth or genitals, because there is a risk of damaging the mucous membranes.
Drug treatment course
To date, it is not known how to treat 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 treatment includes several types of drugs:
- antiviral;
- immunostimulants;
Antiviral drugs stop the development of the infection, and immunostimulants strengthen the protective functions of the body, which subsequently keeps the disease hidden.
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 according to the patient's personal preferences.They are not the basis of therapy and refer to means intended to support the human body in the fight against infection.
It is important!
If you want, tablet vitamins can be replaced with healthy foods.To compensate 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:
- prevention of infection, taking into account how the infection spreads (primary prevention);
- early diagnosis of the disease;
- to protect the body from re-infection after a course of therapy.
In the first case, a person should protect himself from infection in every possible way.To do this, he will need:
- stop having sex;
- wash your hands after visiting public places;
- observe the rules of personal hygiene;
- avoid visiting dubious beauty salons (due to insufficient disinfection of cosmetic or manicure tools, the possibility of contracting the papillomavirus in the beautician's office is extremely high);
- good food;
- wear shoes when visiting pools or baths;
- strengthen your immune system;
- Clean your house regularly.
Despite following these recommendations, the probability of HPV infection is still small.Therefore, doctors insist on regularly visiting an infectious disease specialist and submitting biomaterial for analysis.This will help identify the virus during the incubation period and get rid of it quickly.
However, if infection occurs and the disease begins to manifest itself abroad, no preventive measures will be of any benefit.Here, only specially selected treatment will help, after which you need to take care to prevent recurrence of the disease.For this, you should use primary prevention rules and stay under the supervision of a doctor for another 2-3 weeks.
Will the HPV vaccine protect women?
Although there is no 100% cure for papillomavirus, women can avoid contracting some dangerous types of cancer.Two drugs have been developed for this purpose.
These agents are given as an injectable solution and help protect the body against several types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 33, 45).
Vaccination using these means occurs in three stages:
- The first dose is the day of injection;
- second dose - after 60 days;
- Third dose six months later.
After vaccination, the body's DNA acquires the ability to kill viral cells that are part of the drug, provided that the person has not previously been infected with them.Therefore, before injecting the drug, a woman undergoes mandatory laboratory diagnostics.
In order for immunity to be as prominent as possible, vaccination should be done before the age of 18.Some developed countries have made this procedure mandatory and all high school students go through it.
If necessary, you can take advantage of paid vaccination at a private clinic.