Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common disease against which neither children nor adults are protected.It is quite easy to get infected with this infection because its cells are around us and remain viable for a long time without a carrier.
In addition, it can settle in the human body unnoticed and does not appear until a certain moment.During this time, the infected object is the carrier of the disease, which is why HPV is passed on to both close people and family members.
Papilloma virus - a provocateur in the development of oncology
Small growths appear on the body of almost every third person, which at first seem harmless and harmless.When such tumors are detected, the patient's first reaction is to tear them off or remove them using traditional methods.
In fact, such activities often cause irreparable damage to health, since improper removal of the papilloma can cause active proliferation of epithelial tissue.This is what contributes to the rapid spread of HPV in the body, and in some cases it even causes the mutation of skin cells, which then degenerates into a cancerous tumor.
To date, scientists have divided all types of papillomavirus into three categories:
- safe;
- low carcinogen;
- highly oncogenic.
These groups include certain types of diseases that have their own probability of the growth becoming cancerous.Once in the body, the virus with low and high oncogenicity penetrates the genome of epithelial cells, which changes their structure and causes the appearance of a malignant tumor.In this case, the patient requires immediate professional treatment, because if this problem is ignored, it can all end in death.It is not worth fighting the disease on your own, because it still cannot be cured without the help of a specialist.
Important!In medical practice, there are precedents when a patient is diagnosed with a safe form of papillomavirus, but under the influence of external factors, more often due to mechanical damage to growth, papillomas still degenerate into oncology.
How is the human papillomavirus spread?
All types of diseases, whether oncogenic or benign, spread in the same way.HPV can spread in three ways:
- sexual contact with an infected person;
- transmission of infection from mother to child during pregnancy (vertical method);
- household gearbox.
The presence of lesions on the skin increases the likelihood of developing the disease.Through minor abrasions or scratches, viral cells quickly penetrate deep into the skin and begin to spread throughout the body.In addition, the following factors can increase the chance of infection:
- weakening of the body's protective functions (seasonal or postoperative);
- the presence of intestinal dysbiosis or disruption of the normal microflora in the vagina;
- avitaminosis;
- alcohol addiction;
- sexually transmitted diseases, especially gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis
- any type of diabetes;
- exacerbation of any chronic disease;
- at any stage of pregnancy;
- frequent exposure to stressful situations.
In addition, experienced smokers and women taking combined contraceptive pills are most susceptible to papillomavirus infection.
Sexual transmission of HPV
If you have a weakened immune system, sex with a sick person is a 100% way to get infected with human papillomavirus.Due to such a high risk of transmission of the causative agent of the disease, doctors insist on giving up promiscuity and recommend having intimate relations only with a reliable sexual partner.
Research into the nature of the papillomavirus has helped to establish that in almost 75% of cases men are the source of the infection.However, this does not mean that the majority of non-infected representatives of the beautiful are not HPV carriers.The external symptoms of the disease - condylomas on the mucous membrane of the internal organs - can increase the chance of transmission of the human papillomavirus from woman to man.In addition, even a strong immune system is not always able to protect against this type of human papillomavirus infection.
There is an opinion that the disease can only be caught through normal sexual intercourse (penis penetration into the vagina).But in reality this is not the case.According to doctors, viral cells spread regardless of the method of sexual contact with the carrier.It could be:
- oral sex;
- touching the genitals with your hands;
- anal sex;
- non-penetrative sex.
In addition, the virus is also contained in saliva, so you can become infected with HPV even with a simple kiss.
Do condoms protect against diseases?
Manufacturers of barrier contraceptives say that condoms can prevent 99% of sexually transmitted diseases.This raises a completely logical question: does it work against papillomavirus?
HPV is a unique infection against which there is no absolute protection.Therefore, even condoms do not provide a complete guarantee that the infection will not be transferred from a carrier to a healthy person during sexual intercourse.This can be explained by the fact that there are virus cells all over the skin on the infected object, and if you wear a condom, the papillomavirus enters the body not through contact with the genitals, but through contact with other parts of the body.
Of course, this does not mean that condoms are a useless method of contraception.Although it does not protect against HPV, it prevents the transmission of other more serious diseases and also protects against unplanned pregnancy.
Important!If you have a strong immune system, the probability of HPV infection during sexual intercourse is almost zero, but doctors recommend not to rule out this possibility and take additional precautions, such as regularly taking immunomodulatory drugs.
Vertical mode of infection
The vertical mode of transmission of the virus is infection of the child during intrauterine development or passage through the birth canal.
Infection occurs until about the sixth week of pregnancy, when the baby's bronchi and alveoli have not yet formed.At this point, the fetus develops respiratory papillomatosis.When a baby is born with breathing difficulties due to airway growth, doctors perform surgical intervention.Medication is useless in this case.
If the expectant mother becomes infected with papillomavirus after 6 weeks of pregnancy, the virus can also be transmitted during childbirth.The baby loses the protection of the placenta and passes through the birth canal, where infection occurs.
Treatment of HPV in pregnant women
If the human papillomavirus is detected without external signs, doctors prescribe the woman to take immunostimulating drugs.If the expectant mother has condylomas on the walls of the vagina or cervix, they must be removed.You can do this by:
- laser therapy;
- electrocoagulation;
- destruction of radio waves.
In particularly severe cases, the patient prescribes surgery.This method is only used if the tumor is larger than 5 cm or cancer is suspected.
With a predetermined diagnosis of papillomavirus, a pregnant woman performs a caesarean section.This is the only way to protect the child from infection.
Very often, the papillomavirus manifests itself after pregnancy.The reason for this was a temporary decrease in the body's defensive functions.If there is no growth on the wall of the vagina or cervix, no treatment is prescribed.Usually, after the baby is born, the external signs of HPV disappear on their own.
Household transmission of the virus
When a person is diagnosed with the papillomavirus, we can say with 90% certainty that it has already been transmitted to all other members of their family.You can also get infected with HPV at home:
- if you wear the shoes or clothes of a sick person;
- when sharing towels, wipes and other personal hygiene items;
- with saliva when using dishes or a toothbrush;
- after using a razor (the greatest risk of infection is when cutting the skin).
Other ways of spreading the infection
In addition to the listed ways of transmission of the papillomavirus, it is quite possible to reveal the causative agent of the disease:
- in a bath, sauna or swimming pool;
- in public transport (the main places for accumulation of virus cells are railings, seats, doors);
- when shaking hands with a sick person;
- when using elevators and escalators;
- in a nail salon (in case of insufficient sterilization of the instruments).
Not long ago, information appeared that almost 20% of papillomavirus infections occur through donor blood transfusions.In addition, hospital and clinic staff are at the greatest risk of infection, as they may inhale the diseased cells when they come into contact with the patient.In this case, a medical mask is a weak protection method.
Vaccination - guaranteed safety against HPV?
Many people have heard about the benefits of vaccination against human papillomavirus, but few know that even this method does not guarantee complete protection against infection.
Today, there are two types of preventive medicine.It is a mistake to assume that they provide protection against all existing types of papillomavirus.Their composition helps protect against some types of HPV, which are among the cancer-threatening types - 6, 11, 16, 18.