HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the human papillomavirus – HPV. It is considered a key cause of cervical cancer in women and is often associated with malignant diseases of other organs in the human body. All sexually active persons (women and men) can become infected with this virus, which is why it is extremely important to know answers to the following basic questions about this infection for them to have a healthy approach to sexual life and infection prevention.
What is genital HPV infection?
Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the human papillomavirus. The name refers to a group of viruses with more than 100 types, of which more than 30 are sexually transmitted. Most people infected with HPV will not develop any symptoms, and the infection will go away on its own. The types of viruses that cause significant abnormalities on the Pap test are called high-risk types, whose infection can lead to a development of cancer of the cervix or genitalia. Other types are low-risk types that usually cause small cytologic abnormalities on Pap smears or genital warts (condylomas).
How is genital HPV infection transmitted?
Any person who has ever had genital contact with a person infected with HPV can become infected. It is very common for sexually active people to be asymptomatically infected with HPV and just pass it on to their sexual partners without even knowing it. It is especially important that young sexually active women, at the very beginning of their sexual life, are aware and properly informed about the transmission of HPV and its serious consequences for the women’s health. HPV types that infect the genital system are primarily spread sexually. Very rarely, during vaginal delivery, the virus can be transmitted from mother to child.
What are the symptoms of HPV infection?
Most people who are carriers of HPV do not know they are infected; namely, the virus lives in the cells of the skin or mucosa and usually causes no symptoms. They may develop condylomas, changes on the cervix or on the external genitalia. Condylomas are usually presented as soft, moist, raised, flat or papillomatous, single or multiple formations, with a pink to red color. They may appear weeks or months after sexual contact with an infected person or may not appear at all. Removal methods include application of creams, or procedures carried out by a doctor.
How is HPV infection diagnosed?
A Pap test for women is crucial. HPV is diagnosed based on an abnormal Pap test. There are also specific tests to prove the presence of viruses in the body, and most often they are molecular diagnostic methods that identify the viral genetic material. For men, there is still no real test for the diagnosis of HPV infection, although molecular methods are often used.
What is the treatment for HPV?
There is no specific cure for HPV infection, although in most women the infection clears up on its own. It is so-called spontaneous clearance stimulated by our immune system. Treatment is aimed at changes in the skin or mucous membranes that occur because of the HPV infection.
What is the connection between HPV and cervical cancer?
All types of HPV can cause mild changes in the Pap test without serious consequences, but some of them, in rare cases, can lead to cervical cancer. However, in the majority, that is, in about 90% of women, the test used to identify the presence of HPV becomes negative. On the other hand, in a certain, smaller number of women, HPV infection lasts longer and as such is a major risk factor for developing cervical cancer. Regular gynecological examinations and Pap tests will detect the initial changes of the cervix in time and ensure adequate treatment. The fact that most women with cervical cancer do not get tested regularly is a key indicator of how important regular Pap tests are.
How to reduce the risk of genital HPV infection?
The safest way to eliminate the risk of HPV infection is abstinence from sex with other people, but understandably this way is least accepted. For those in a long-term relationship, marriage, or partnership, a possible solution is a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner. However, it is difficult in each individual case to determine the HPV status of the current sexual partner who has been sexually active previously.
For sexually active people who are not in a long-term monogamous relationship, reducing the number of partners reduces the risk of HPV infection. Condom use reduces the incidence of cervical cancer. On the other hand, the role of condoms in preventing HPV infection is not yet known, because HPV infection can also occur on the parts covered by the condom as well as on uncovered parts. A few years ago, a vaccine was developed, which today represents the safest way to prevent HPV infection.
What do health systems in the countries of Western Europe and the United States say about the treatment and management of HPV infection in women?
The national health programs of most countries in Western Europe and the United States recommend vaccines containing non-infectious components of two to nine different types of HPV, including those most associated with cervical cancer. In doing so, it is necessary to point out that the vaccine does not treat existing HPV infections or cervical changes that are associated with HPV. Also, the importance of regular screening for HPV-related cancers is not diminished by vaccination. The vaccine is most effective if it is administered when girls still don’t practice sex. Thus, most national programs recommend vaccination around the age of thirteen.
Are vaccines safe?
Since 2006, more than 120 million doses of vaccine have been distributed. Apart from mild side effects (which include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site and loss of consciousness that may occur with any other injection as well), there is no evidence of more serious side effects. Therefore, the vaccine is rated as safe and secure.
Regular gynecological examinations and Pap tests are essential!
Even if girls opt for vaccines, they must continue with regular gynecological examinations and Pap tests because the vaccine will not protect against all types of HPV. Due to the frequent and easy infection with HPV among the entire sexually active population, it is necessary for women and girls to have regular gynecological examinations from the very beginning of their sexual life in order to be fully aware for the prevention and for possible serious health problems and consequences caused by the human papilloma virus.
