I need any information you have to offer. ANYTHING. is it treatable, fatal, etc.
HELP
tyyy What is sexually transmitted HPV infection:
Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the lining of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own. Some of these viruses are called "high-risk" types, and may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis. Others are called "low-risk" types, and they may cause mild Pap test abnormalities or genital warts. Genital warts are single or multiple growths or bumps that appear in the genital area, and sometimes are cauliflower shaped.
How common is HPV?
Approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year.
How to get HPV:
The types of HPV that infect the genital area are spread primarily through genital contact. Most HPV infections have no signs or symptoms; therefore, most infected persons are unaware they are infected, yet they can transmit the virus to a sex partner. Rarely, a pregnant woman can pass HPV to her baby during vaginal delivery. A baby that is exposed to HPV very rarely develops warts in the throat or voice box.
Signs and symptoms of HPV:
Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected. The virus lives in the skin or mucous membranes and usually causes no symptoms. Some people get visible genital warts, or have pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, vulva, anus, or penis. Very rarely, HPV infection results in anal or genital cancers. Genital warts usually appear as soft, moist, pink, or flesh-colored swellings, usually in the genital area. They can be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large, and sometimes cauliflower shaped. They can appear on the vulva, in or around the vagina or anus, on the cervix, and on the penis, scrotum, groin, or thigh. After sexual contact with an infected person, warts may appear within weeks or months, or not at all. Genital warts are diagnosed by visual inspection. Visible genital warts can be removed by medications the patient applies, or by treatments performed by a health care provider. Some individuals choose to forego treatment to see if the warts will disappear on their own. No treatment regimen for genital warts is better than another, and no one treatment regimen is ideal for all cases.
How HPV is diagnsed:
Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap tests. A Pap test is the primary cancer-screening tool for cervical cancer or pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, many of which are related to HPV. Also, a specific test is available to detect HPV DNA in women. The test may be used in women with mild Pap test abnormalities, or in women >30 years of age at the time of Pap testing. The results of HPV DNA testing can help health care providers decide if further tests or treatment are necessary. No HPV tests are available for men.
Cure for HPV:
There is no "cure" for HPV infection, although in most women the infection goes away on its own. The treatments provided are directed to the changes in the skin or mucous membrane caused by HPV infection, such as warts and pre-cancerous changes in the cervix.
Connection between HPV and cervical cancer:
All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities which do not have serious consequences. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90 percent), cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years. Although only a small proportion of women have persistent infection, persistent infection with "high-risk" types of HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer. A Pap test can detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells on the cervix. Regular Pap testing and careful medical follow-up, with treatment if necessary, can help ensure that pre-cancerous changes in the cervix caused by HPV infection do not develop into life threatening cervical cancer. The Pap test used in U.S. cervical cancer screening programs is responsible for greatly reducing deaths from cervical cancer. For 2004, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 10,520 women will develop invasive cervical cancer and about 3,900 women will die from this disease. Most women who develop invasive cervical cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screening.
How to reduce risk:
The surest way to eliminate risk for genital HPV infection is to refrain from any genital contact with another individual.
For those who choose to be sexually active, a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the strategy most likely to prevent future genital HPV infections. However, it is difficult to determine whether a partner who has been sexually active in the past is currently infected.
For those choosing to be sexually active and who are not in long-term mutually monogamous relationships, reducing the number of sexual partners and choosing a partner less likely to be infected may reduce the risk of genital HPV infection. Partners less likely to be infected include those who have had no or few prior sex partners. HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. While the effect of condoms in preventing HPV infection is unknown, condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer, an HPV-associated disease. What are human papillomaviruses (HPVs)?
There are over 100 types of papillomaviruses (HPVs) that infect humans. Of these, more than 40 types can infect the anogenital tract (genital tract and anus) of men and women and cause genital warts (known as condylomata acuminata or venereal warts). A subgroup of the HPVs that infect the anogenital tract (genital tract and anus) can lead to precancerous changes in the uterine cervix and cause uterine, cervical cancer. HPV infection also is associated with the development of other anogenital cancers in women. The HPV types that cause cervical cancer also have been linked with both anal and penile cancer in men as well as a subgroup of head and neck cancers in both women and men. Genital warts and HPV infection are transmitted primarily by sexual intimacy, and the risk of infection increases as the number of sexual partners increase.
The most common HPV types that infect the anogenital tract are HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 (HPV-6, HPV-11, HPV-16, and HPV-18), although other HPV types can also infect the anogenital tract. Among these, HPV-6 and HPV-11 are most commonly associated with benign lesions such as genital warts and mild dysplasia of the cervix (potentially precancerous changes in the appearance of cervical cells under a microscope) and are termed 鈥渓ow-risk鈥?HPV types. In contrast, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are the types found in the majority of cervical and anogenital cancers as well as severe dysplasia of the cervix. These belong to the so-called 鈥渉igh-risk鈥?group of HPVs.
Other, different HPV types infect the skin and cause common warts elsewhere on the body. Some types of HPVs (e.g., HPV 5 and 8) frequently cause skin cancers in people who have a condition known as epidermodysplasia verruciformis. The human papilloma virus, also called HPV, is a common virus that infects the skin and mucous membranes. In fact, the CDC estimates that as many as 80 percent of women will get a type of genital HPV at some point in their lives. However, most of these infections go away or are suppressed by the body within one to two years without causing any problems or requiring any treatment.
There are more than 100 types of HPV, and the types that cause common warts (such as those found on the hands and feet) are spread through skin-to-skin contact. It is also possible to get these common types of warts after sharing towels or other objects with a person who has warts.
Approximately 30 strains of HPV affect the genital area. These 30 strains are divided into two groups: 鈥渓ow-risk鈥?and 鈥渉igh-risk.鈥? Low-risk HPV cannot cause cervical cancer, but it can cause genital warts or minor cell changes on the cervix. High-risk HPV can cause abnormal cells to form on the cervix. These cell changes may gradually develop into cervical cancer if not removed.
Most commonly, genital types of HPV do not cause any symptoms at all. Usually, the infection goes away or is suppressed by the body before any problems develop. However, if the infection does persist, abnormal cells many form. With high-risk HPV, the only way to know you have the virus before cervical cancer develops is to be screened using both a Pap and (if you are 30 or over) the HPV test. By catching persistent infections while they are still relatively early in their development, abnormal cells can be detected and removed before they become cancerous.
Antibiotics or other currently available medicines cannot treat HPV infection. However, if the infection persists, treatment is available only for the abnormal cells that form as a result. Genital warts can be treated with gels, lasers, or other technology. Pre-cancerous cells on the cervix can be removed using surgical procedures or laser therapy.
You can read more about HPV here: http://www.thehpvtest.com/under-30/HPV-f...
Hope this helps,
Tracey from theHPVtest.com |
