The category of invisible diseases is infection with the human papillomavirus. It stands apart, causes concern of doctors, and the creators of the vaccination from him received last year’s Nobel Prize.The fact that the infection is dangerous is recognized by the correspondent of SE.
About diseases transmitted sexually, today they say a lot and often: too much of their distribution. But if some infections, such as chlamydia, are heard by everyone, then others are less likely to talk.However, this does not mean that they are less treacherous.
The reference: The human papilloma virus (HPV) is widespread, affects both women and men, it affects the skin and mucous membranes. In total there are more than 100 types of the virus. Most of them do not cause any symptoms, are harmless and disappear by themselves. About 30 types are genital.
Froggy disease
If it comes to papillomas, people usually remember unpleasant warts, which, according to folk legends, appear if you touch the frog. Modern science has proved that frogs have no relation to papillomas, but HPV is their direct culprit. But if warts removal on the left little finger of the right leg is boldly discussed in the forum, then more delicate things, such as warts in intimate places, are not. They do not talk about this in society, but gynecologists talk about this.
Noting that warts themselves are not the most dangerous thing to expect from a virus, but only an external, albeit very unpleasant, manifestation. “To date, it has been proven that some types of the virus, especially the 16th and 18th, are the cause of cervical cancer in women,” says Alla Teplitskaya, a gynecologist at the highest category of the Zdravitsa Medical Center.
His insidiousness is that, as a carrier of the virus, a person usually does not know about it: most cases of infection are asymptomatic, do not cause pain and discomfort.
At the same time, the prevalence of the papilloma virus is very high: it is believed that every eighth inhabitant of the planet is its carrier.
A Risky Experiment
The risk group includes all people who have an active sexual life: the virus is transmitted through any kind of sexual activity, in which mucosal contact occurs. Accordingly, young women, often changing partners, according to gynecologists, are traditionally in danger. As Alla Teplitskaya explains, HPV is often combined with other sexual infections. And if a woman had trichomoniasis, chlamydia, or when they found ureaplasma or mycoplasma, they can also detect the papilloma virus.
In a special group, doctors identify women who have undergone erosion or any other changes in the cervix, because in this case the virus already has an application point and the presence of the virus will exacerbate the likelihood of developing cancer. For such women, the examination is mandatory.
However, you do not need to wait for the symptoms: as Lyudmila Daychman, the head of the gynecological department of the Road Clinical Hospital, told the gynecologist at the medical examination once a year, she should take a smear at the so-called atypical cells. If they are revealed during the examination, the patient should continue the examination: this is a colposcopy – the study of the cervix with a microscope, PCR analysis for the virus, and if the cervix is already damaged, the doctor can prescribe a histological examination or a biopsy.
Owners of warts in any part of the body should also be checked: if the virus has caught on the skin, then its dangerous subspecies can work imperceptibly for you and inside. In this case, it is not necessary that each wart owner will develop cancer: as mentioned above, there are more than a hundred types of the virus. But the reason that the virus manifested itself on the skin is a decrease in immunity, and you need to understand it.
Find and neutralize
So, if you have a virus of the papilloma, the doctor is likely to prescribe complex drugs to raise the immunity – local and general, as well as antiviral drugs. When a condylomus is detected – that is, external manifestations of the virus – they are removed by destructive methods, just like ordinary warts, simply burn out.
As for the methods of prevention, doctors give standard recommendations: to follow the choice of a partner and not to expose themselves to unjustified risk by refusing a condom.
The second point in prevention is vaccination against the virus. It is for the invention of the vaccine that its creators received in 2008 the Nobel Prize.
As Alla Teplitskaya said, the vaccination protects against the four most dangerous types of the virus. However, not all of them are doing it, but only for the young people – up to 26 years.
Ideally, the vaccine should be done before the onset of sexual activity, so that immunity could be formed, so the main propaganda is being conducted today among those who raise their daughters. For young women, there is also a certain scheme: according to Alla Teplitskaya, even if there is a viral infection, the vaccine helps to prevent cervical cancer. For those who have crossed the threshold of 26 years, first of all you will have to think about strengthening your own immunity, and these are not empty words – doctors say: with strong immunity, the virus can leave the body itself, or at least “sleep” in it, not showing.
