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, approximately 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 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 some unfavorable factors it will return with renewed vigor.
Routes of HPV infection
Papillomavirus is an unpleasant disease that causes the appearance of venereal warts (condylomata), 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 its appearance, cause pain if damaged, and can even cause oncology.Due to the risk of malignancy, this disease must be treated immediately, otherwise the consequences will be irreversible.
Human papillomavirus infection spreads very quickly.It is mainly transmitted in utero during gestation (from mother to child) or by contact:
- through handshakes;
- hug;
- when touching a patient on public transport;
- during sexual intercourse with an infected person.
In second place is the domestic circuit.In this case, you can get the virus:
- through animal fur;
- when using other people's personal hygiene items;
- when wearing clothes or shoes belonging to an infected person;
- when visiting public swimming pools, ponds, showers.
Activation of HPV does not occur immediately.Often the disease makes itself felt a year or two after entering the body, or even does not manifest itself at all.If no external symptoms are detected, a person infected with papillomavirus moves into 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 lies in the fact that during pregnancy the immune system of the future mother, which previously kept the infection in a latent form, weakens.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:
- safe growth;
- neoplasms with low probability of transformation into cancer;
- papillomas with medium risk of developing a cancerous tumor;
- particularly dangerous neoplasms.
Based on 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
Based on their appearance and location, all papillomas are divided into several groups:
- warts– orthotics on the feet, vulgaris on the toes, juvenile (flat) growths on the skin;
- genital warts– genitals, area near the anus, vaginal mucous membranes, 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 women 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 fight mass papillomas.
Diagnosis of the disease
If signs of papillomavirus are detected 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 that, the patient is sent for examination.This is a mandatory procedure, since 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, scraped from the skin or mucous membranes of the genital organs, is used as a biomaterial.
After taking a sample of the patient's tissue, laboratory personnel use special enzymes that copy human papilloma virus RNA and DNA particles from the biomaterial.Subsequently, they are "subjected" to an 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 entering the body;
- versatility – absolutely any biomaterial is suitable for analysis;
- large coverage area: allows you to simultaneously identify all types of HPV present in the body;
- speed of analysis: results become known within a few hours;
- high accuracy: the technique never gives incorrect results (exceptions include violations of the technology for carrying out diagnostic measurements, which is extremely rare).
Furthermore, it should be noted that the cost of the analysis is acceptable.The price of PCR is much lower than other methods for diagnosing HPV.
Digene HPV Test
Not so 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.Although this technique is new, it is rapidly gaining 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 papillomavirus and establish the type of disease, but also to determine 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 tests, doctors pay attention to this feature, since on its basis the course of therapy is selected.
All methods of treatment of human papillomavirus
HPV is not a death sentence!It is impossible to completely get rid of it, but it is quite possible to start living without its external manifestations.
The treatment regimen for human papillomavirus infection includes three phases:
- Removal of external signs of disease (growths);
- Complete a course of drug therapy;
- Strengthen the immune system to prevent relapses.
The entire process of recovering from HPV must 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.
Important!
Doctors allow the possibility of independently using additional methods of combating the virus (traditional medicine, spells, medicinal baths), but before using them it is necessary to inform the doctor about them.
Basic methods for removing growths
It is not recommended to remove the growths yourself, since any damage to the papilloma or warts can provoke the transformation of the remnants of the neoplasm into a cancerous tumor.To safely eliminate the external symptoms of the infection, you should use professional techniques:
- freezing with liquid nitrogen;
- destruction of radio waves;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser therapy.
General contraindications to hardware removal of papillomas are:
- the presence of chronic diseases that are in the acute phase at the time of visit to the medical center;
- damage to the skin at the growth point;
- suspicion of malignancy of the neoplasm;
- skin infections.
Additionally, the client may be denied surgery if he or she is under the influence of drugs or intoxicated.
Removal 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 eliminate large warts and large tumors.Its disadvantages were:
- the appearance of a scar after surgery;
- need for anesthesia (local or general);
- long period of rehabilitation.
Chemotherapy
If a small single papilloma is present, 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, he dies and falls, leaving behind a barely noticeable depression.
The disadvantage of this treatment method is that the components of antipapilloma products also burn healthy skin cells.Additionally, chemotherapy cannot remove warts and warts located in the mouth or genitals due to the risk of damage to the mucous membranes.
Course of drug treatment
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 block the development of the infection, and immunostimulants strengthen the protective functions of the body, which subsequently keeps 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.
Strengthen the immune system
Unlike antiviral and immunostimulating drugs, vitamin complexes can be selected based on the patient's personal preferences.They do not form the basis of therapy and belong to the means intended to support the human body in the fight against infections.
Important!
If desired, vitamins in 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.
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;
- 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 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 probability of contracting 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 home regularly.
Even if you follow these recommendations, there is still a small chance of contracting HPV.Therefore, doctors insist on regularly visiting an infectious disease specialist and submitting the biomaterial for analysis.This will help identify the virus in the incubation period and get rid of it quickly.
If, however, an infection occurs and the disease begins to manifest itself externally, no preventive measures will be of benefit.Only specially selected treatment will help here, after which care must be taken to prevent relapse of the disease.To do this you need to use 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 100% cure for papillomavirus, women can avoid infection with some types of cancer-threatening diseases.Two drugs have been developed for this purpose.
These agents are administered as an injectable solution and help protect the body from several types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 33, 45).
Vaccination with these means occurs in three stages:
- The first dose is on the day of the injection;
- Second dose – after 60 days;
- The third dose is six months later.
After vaccination, the organism acquires the ability that allows it to kill viral cells, the DNA of which was part of the drug, provided that the person has not been infected with it before.Therefore, before injecting the medicine, a 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 in a private clinic.