HPV is the abbreviation of Human papillomavirus which is a virus from the papillomavirus family that is able to infect humans. Hpv just like all papillomaviruses starts infections in the mucous membranes or the keratinocytes of the skin. This virus is known to normally show no hpv symptoms in most cases, but some types do cause warts (verrucae) while many in some cases bring about cancers of the vagina, cervix, vulva, anus, oropharynx and the penis. It is common to link hpv with the high risk of cardiovascular disease. Also 18 to 20 infections are strongly related to an increase in ratio of developed oropharyngeal throat cancer.
Many will ask, is hpv curable? Currently there is no particular hpv treatment or cure. But most often the viral infection clears by itself. There has been introduced the hpv vaccine which prevents the infection or spread in both men and women but the jury is still out on the effectiveness or the side effects caused by the vaccine.
HPV in men within the range of about 20 to 40 years are mostly transmitted by sexual contact that affect the anogenital regions. There are several sexually transmitted hpv virus strains that cause genital warts and constant infection with high risk hpv types different from those that cause skin warts may lead to invasive cancer and precancerous lesions. HPV is the cause of many cervical cancers. But generally infections of these kinds don’t normally cause diseases.
Most hpv in women are temporary and have short-term significance. Sixty percent of these infections are gone in a year and ninety percent in two years. If the infections should persist, in five percent to ten percent of women there is a risk of developing cancer of the cervix, which can go on to bring about invasive cervical cancer. Hpv in women brings about genital warts and this may be found in the vagina or anus, outside of the anus or vagina or around the skin and on the cervix inside the female’s body.
The human papilloma is the main virus that brings about the causes of hpv. Not all hpv causes genital warts, some types can lead to precancerous and cervical cancer or even anal cancer. Hpv infection can spread from one person to the other through sexual contact using the mouth, anus or vagina. Warts may not be seen for six weeks to six months upon infection, you might not even notice them for years. There is a higher probability of getting genital warts if you indulge in alcohol and tobacco, are sexually active at an early stage, do not know if you had sex with a person with STI or you are pregnant.
The hpv naturally clears within two years of infection for ninety percent of the cases by the body’s immune system. However if there has been a case of genital warts a skin treatment must be done in a doctor’s office and prescribed medicines be taken. The warts may also be removed through surgical methods. Women with hpv and have genital warts are advised to have regular pap smears, women with warts on their cervix are recommended to have pap smears three to six months right after the first treatment.