The Viral Infection of Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Hello sweet friends, it's another beautiful day to learn, relearn and unlearn. One reason why I am personally in love with the stem social community is the fact that I get to learn about science and medicine which is an ever-innovative field over and over again.

Today, we are going to learn together about, a sexually transmittable infection that can increase the risk of some forms of cancer, that sounds scary, doesn't it? Let's see how that works.

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Human papillomavirus (HPV) comes in different forms and can increase cancer risk significantly. Every year, about 19,400 females and 12,100 males develop cancers that spring from HPV, this statistic is for the United States alone. This makes HPV the most common existing STI in the world, but the good thing is, that there are available vaccines to prevent it.

Human papillomavirus is a viral infection passed between people through a skin-to-skin type of contact, the varieties of HPV are so many that they are over 100 in number, more than 40 of them can be passed through sexual contact and can affect the throat, mouth, or genitals.

Oral sex, anal, and vaginal sex are the most common route through which most people get the HPV infection, but the virus is not only transmitted through sexual intercourse, remember is id a skin t skin type of infection.
It is very possible to have HPV and not be aware of it, some people can contract the virus from their partners who do not show symptoms. The possibility of having multiple types of HPV is also there.

On rare occasions, a mother can also transfer the virus to her child during delivery, when this happens, there is a chance that the child will develop a condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis where the child would develop HPV- related watts in their throats or airways.

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Funny enough, as common as the HPV virus is, it goes away on its own as well without treatment a person may take in, transmit, and even recover from the virus without being aware.

The problem however happens when the virus doesn't go away on its own, serious health issues can be caused in this case. Health issues like genital warts, and warts in the throat, are known as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

HPV could cause cervical cancer as well as other cancers of the head, throat, neck, and genitals. The nature of HPV that causes warts differs from the ones that cause cancer. This means, having genital warts that are caused by HPV doesn't necessarily mean cancer would be developed.

Cases of HPV get worse when the immune system of an individual is on the low side. In most situations, the body's immune system defeats an HPV infection before it creates warts. When warts appear on the body, they come in different forms depending on the type of HPV involved.

General warts come in the form of flat lesions, in me, genital warts appear on the scrotrum, penis or around the anus. This wart creates discomfort or pain, therefore causing an itch or tender feeling.

Planter warts are hard, grainy growths that could appear on the heels or balls of your feet, the presence of these warts would create discomfort.

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Flat warts are flat-topped, slightly raised lesions that can appear anywhere, but when they occur in children, they are usually seen on their faces, and in men on the beard area, while in women, they appear on the legs.

Common warts appear as rough, raised bumps, most often affecting the fingers and hands. In most cases, common warts are not a big deal, but they could get painful or susceptible to bleeding or injury.

Let's get to the cancer issue.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infections from HPV, but it doesn't just happen overnight, it could take up to 20 years or even longer to develop after there has been an HPV infection. Just like the HPV infection, early cervical cancer would not also cause noticeable symptoms. Vaccination against HPV infection is the best form of protection against cervical cancer.

The available treatment options for HPV cannot get the virus off your body completely, but they can help get rid of visible warts that could be on the genitals as well as the abnormal cells in the cervix. Treatment options come in these forms;
Electrocautery which is burning warts off with the use of an electric current.

Laser therapy, is the use of intense light to destroy warts or other abnormal cells.

Cryosurgery includes freezing warts or the destroying of abnormal cells with liquid nitrogen.

Conization means taking out a cone shaped piece of cervical tissue containing abnormal cells.

LEEP which fully means Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure which involves the use of a special wire loop to take out warts or take out abnormal cells on the cervix.

Prescription creams gotten over the counter can also be applied directly on the warts to destroy them.

You know that prevention will save you from the fear associated with getting the virus, as well as the possibility of treating the complications attached to the virus.

The risk of the virus can be reduced if, you get the THC HPV vaccine before getting sexually active, and get regularly screened and tested, of course, practicing safe sex is highly crucial. It is also important to let your partner know if you have HPV, this will help them get tested as well, and stop having sex with you in case they stand at high risk of being infected too.

Bear in mind there is no cure for HPV, but it also clears up on its own even without you noticing its presence. However, this may not be the case for people who have a low immune system as the virus could create a higher chance of medical danger(Cancer).

For Further Studies

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hpv-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20351596

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11901-hpv-human-papilloma-virus

https://www.healthline.com/health/human-papillomavirus-infection#prevention

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/246670#symptoms

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hpv-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20351596

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Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak about relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.