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, 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 on 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 some unfavorable factors it will return with renewed energy.
Pathways of HPV infection
Papillomavirus is an unpleasant disease that causes the appearance of venereal 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 consequences will be irreversible.
Human papillomavirus infection spreads very quickly.It is mainly transmitted in utero during pregnancy (from mother to child) or by contact:
- through handshakes;
- embrace;
- when you touch a patient on public transport;
- during sexual intercourse with an infected person.
In second place is the family circle.In this case, you can catch 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 pools, ponds, showers.
HPV activation does not happen immediately.Often, the disease is felt a year or two after entering the body, or even does not appear at all.If no external symptoms are detected, then a person infected with papillomavirus passes 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 expectant mother weakens, which previously kept the infection in a latent form.After childbirth, the protective functions of the woman's body are restored and the disease can go away on its own.
Papillomavirus: level of oncogenicity and types of growths
All existing types of papillomavirus are divided into several categories depending on the level of oncogenicity:
- safe growth;
- neoplasms with a low chance of turning into cancer;
- papilloma with an average risk of developing a cancerous tumor;
- especially dangerous neoplasia.
Based on the data of medical practice, particularly 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:
- wen– calluses on the feet, calluses on the fingers, youthful (flat) growths on the skin;
- genital warts– the genitals, the area near the anus, the mucous membranes in the vagina, the oral cavity, the 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 in women who are 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 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 visit a gynecologist (for women) or a urologist (for men).The doctor is obliged to perform 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 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, scrapings from the skin or mucous membrane of the genital organs are used as biomaterial.
After taking a sample of the patient's tissue, the laboratory staff uses special enzymes that copy the RNA and DNA particles of the human papilloma virus from the biomaterial.They are then "run" through 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 identify all types of HPV that are present in the body at the same time;
- 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 performing diagnostic measures, which is extremely rare).
In addition, it should be noted that the cost of the analysis is acceptable.The price of PCR is much lower compared to other methods for HPV diagnosis.
Digene HPV test
Not so long ago, the Digene technology appeared in medicine, with which it is possible to detect all types of human papillomavirus infection, from low levels of oncogenicity to particularly dangerous types of the disease.Despite the fact that this technique is new, it is quickly 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 the papillomavirus and determine the type of disease, but also to determine the level of its oncogenicity.Thanks to this, the doctor can more accurately choose the treatment and reduce to a minimum 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 characteristic, since the course of therapy is chosen based on it.
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 stages:
- Removal of external signs of the disease (growth);
- Completion of a course of drug therapy;
- Strengthening the immune system to prevent relapse.
The entire process of recovery from HPV should 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!
Doctors allow the possibility of independent use of additional methods of fighting the virus (traditional medicine, magic, medicinal baths), but before using them you must notify the doctor about this.
Basic methods for removing growths
It is not recommended to remove the growths yourself, since any damage to the papilloma or condyloma can provoke the transformation of the remnants of the neoplasm into a cancerous tumor.To safely get rid of external symptoms of infection, you must 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 phase at the time of the visit to the medical center;
- damage to the skin at the location of the growth;
- suspicion of neoplasm malignancy;
- skin infections.
In addition, the client may be refused surgery if he is under the influence of drugs or intoxicated.
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 growths is prescribed only when the papilloma has grown by more than 4-5 cm or the person has contraindications for one or another cosmetic procedure.
Surgery is the only effective way to get rid of large warts and tumors of large groups.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 single small papilloma, the patient can use chemotherapy.It is based on the use of drugs for external use, which penetrate the deep layers of the epidermis and destroy the growth base.As a result, under the influence of aggressive chemical compounds, it dies and falls, leaving behind a barely visible depression.
The downside of this treatment method is that the ingredients in anti-papilloma products also burn healthy skin cells.In addition, chemotherapy cannot remove condylomas and warts localized in the mouth or genitals due to the risk of mucosal damage.
Drug treatment course
To date, it is not known how to cure papillomavirus permanently.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;
- immunostimulant;
Antiviral drugs stop the development of infection and immunostimulants strengthen the body's protective functions, which then 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 according to the patient's personal preferences.They are not the basis of therapy and belong to the means intended to support the human body in the fight against infection.
Important!
If you want, the vitamins in the tablets can be replaced with healthy foods.To compensate for the lack of nutrients in the body and to 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;
- protecting the body from re-infection after a course of therapy.
In the first case, a person should be protected in every possible way from infection.To do this he will need:
- stop having promiscuous sex;
- wash your hands after visiting public places;
- maintain personal hygiene;
- avoid visits to dubious beauty salons (precisely because of insufficient disinfection of cosmetic or manicure instruments, the likelihood of contracting the papillomavirus in a cosmetologist's office is quite high);
- eat well;
- wear shoes when visiting pools or spas;
- 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 regularly visiting an infectious disease specialist and submitting biomaterial for analysis.This will help to identify the virus in the incubation period and get rid of it quickly.
If, however, infection occurs and the disease begins to appear externally, then no preventive measures will be useful.Only specially selected treatment will help here, after which you need to take care to prevent the disease from returning.To do this, you should use the rules of primary prevention and stay under the supervision of a doctor for another 2-3 weeks.
Will the HPV vaccine protect women?
Despite the fact that there is no 100% cure for the papillomavirus, women can avoid infection with some types of the disease that are dangerous for cancer.Two drugs have been developed for this purpose.
These agents are given as an injectable solution and help protect the body against some types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 33, 45).
Vaccination with these means is carried out 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 body acquires the ability that allows it to kill viral cells whose DNA was part of the drug, provided that the person was not previously infected with them.Therefore, before injecting the drug, a woman undergoes mandatory laboratory diagnostics.
In order for immunity to be as pronounced as possible, vaccination must be done before the age of 18.Some developed countries have made this procedure mandatory and all high school students are subject to it.
If necessary, you can benefit from paid vaccination at a private clinic.