Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a very common disease from which neither children nor adults are protected.It is 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 imperceptibly settle in the human body and will not manifest itself until a certain moment.All this time, the infected object is a carrier of the disease, which is why HPV is transmitted both to people who are close to him and to members of his family.
Papilloma virus - the provocateur of the development of oncology
Almost every third person develops small growths on the body, which at first seem harmless and harmless.When such tumors are discovered, the patient's first reaction is to tear them off or remove them using traditional methods.
In fact, such procedures often cause irreparable damage to health, because improper removal of papillomas can cause active proliferation of epithelial tissue.This is what contributes to the rapid spread of HPV in the body, and in some cases even causes the mutation of skin cells with subsequent degeneration into a cancerous tumor.
To date, scientists have divided all types of papillomavirus into three categories:
- surely;
- low tumorigenic;
- highly oncogenic.
These groups include certain types of diseases that have their own level of probability of transformation of the growth into a cancerous tumor.A virus of low and high oncogenicity, when it enters the body, penetrates the genome of epithelial cells, which changes their structure and causes the appearance of a malignant tumor.In this case, the patient needs urgent professional treatment, because if this problem is ignored, everything can end in death.It is not worth fighting the disease on your own, because it will still not be possible to cure it 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 the growth, papillomas still degenerate into oncology.
How is human papilloma virus transmitted?
All types of diseases, oncogenic and harmless, spread in the same way.HPV can be transmitted in one of three ways:
- sexual intercourse with an infected person;
- transmission of infection from mother to child during pregnancy (vertical method);
- household transmission.
The presence of lesions on the skin increases the likelihood of contracting the disease.Through small scratches or scrapes, 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
- diabetes of any kind;
- exacerbation of any chronic disease;
- pregnancy at any stage;
- frequent exposure to stressful situations.
In addition, the most susceptible to infection with the papilloma virus are experienced smokers, as well as women who take combined contraceptive pills.
Sexual transmission of HPV
If you have a weakened immune system, having sex with a sick person is a 100% way to get infected with human papillomavirus.Because of such a high risk of transmitting the causative agent of the disease, doctors insist on abandoning promiscuity and recommend entering into intimate relations only with a trusted sexual partner.
Research into the nature of the papilloma virus has helped to determine that in almost 75% of cases, the source of infection is a man.However, this does not mean that the majority of infected women are not carriers of HPV.The presence of external symptoms of the disease - condylomas, which are located on the mucous membranes of internal organs - can increase the chances of transmitting the human papillomavirus from a woman to a man.Moreover, even a strong immune system is not always able to protect itself from this type of human papillomavirus infection.
There is an opinion that the disease can only be acquired through normal intercourse (penis penetration into the vagina).But in reality this is not the case.Doctors say that virus cells spread regardless of the method of sexual contact with the carrier.it could be:
- oral sex;
- touching the genitals with hands;
- anal sex;
- sexual intercourse without penetration.
In addition, the virus is found in saliva, so you can get infected with HPV even with a simple kiss.
Will a condom protect against disease?
Manufacturers of protective contraception say that condoms are 99% capable of preventing infection with any sexually transmitted disease.This raises a completely logical question: does it work against the papillomavirus?
HPV is a unique infection against which there is no absolute protection.Therefore, even a condom will not give a complete guarantee that the infection will not be transmitted from the carrier to a healthy person during intercourse.This is explained by the fact that the infected object has virus cells all over the skin and if you wear a condom, the papillomavirus will enter the body not through contact with the genitals, but through contact with other parts of the body.
Of course, this does not mean that the condom is a useless method of contraception.Although it does not protect against HPV, it prevents the transmission of other more serious diseases and protects against unplanned pregnancy.
Important!If you have a strong immune system, the probability of getting infected with HPV during sexual intercourse is almost zero, but doctors recommend that you do not exclude this possibility and take additional precautions, for example, regularly taking immunomodulatory drugs.
Vertical method of infection
The vertical mode of transmission of the virus is infection of the child during intrauterine development or during its passage through the birth canal.
The infection occurs until about the sixth week of pregnancy, at a time when the baby's bronchioles and alveoli are not yet formed.At this point, the fetus begins to develop respiratory papillomatosis.If, at birth, the baby is diagnosed with difficulty breathing due to growths in the respiratory tract, then doctors perform a surgical procedure.Drug therapy in this case is useless.
If the expectant mother becomes infected with the papillomavirus after 6 weeks of pregnancy, the virus can be transmitted during childbirth.The baby is deprived of placental protection and passes through the birth canal, where the 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 future mother has condylomas on the walls of the vagina or cervix, they must be removed.You can do this using:
- laser therapy;
- electrocoagulation;
- destruction of radio waves.
In particularly severe cases, the patient is prescribed surgery.This method is only used when the tumor exceeds 5 cm or cancer is suspected.
With a predetermined diagnosis of papillomavirus, the pregnant woman undergoes a caesarean section.This is the only way to protect the child from infection.
Very often, the papilloma virus manifests itself after pregnancy.The reason for this is a temporary decrease in the protective functions of the body.If there are no growths on the walls of the vagina or cervix, treatment is not prescribed.Usually, after the birth of the child, the external signs of HPV disappear on their own.
Transmission of the virus in the household
When we diagnose the papilloma virus in one person, we can say with 90% confidence that he has already transmitted it to all other members of his family.You can get infected with HPV at home:
- when wearing shoes or clothes of a sick person;
- when sharing towels, wash basins and other means for personal hygiene;
- through saliva when using dishes or a toothbrush;
- after using a razor (the greatest risk of infection is when the skin is cut).
Other ways of spreading the infection
In addition to all the mentioned ways of transmission of the papilloma virus, it is quite possible to pick up the causative agent of the disease:
- in the bathroom, sauna or swimming pool;
- in public transport (the main places where viral cells accumulate are handrails, seats, doors);
- when handling a sick person;
- when using elevators, escalators;
- in the nail salon (in case of insufficient sterilization of instruments).
Information was recently published that almost 20% of cases of infection with the papilloma virus occur through transfusion of donor blood.In addition, hospital and clinical staff are exposed to the greatest risk of infection, as they can inhale disease cells in contact with the patient.In this case, a medical mask is a weak form of protection.
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 safety from infection.
Today there are two types of preventive medicine.It is wrong to assume that they protect against all existing types of papillomavirus.Their composition helps to protect against only a few types of HPV, which are classified as types dangerous for cancer - 6, 11, 16, 18.