Although many treatments are available for genital warts caused by human papillomavirus or HPV, there is not yet enough successful method to treat completely these conditions. Most current treatment options work by destroying affected tissue. Doctors use a cytotoxic or a physically ablative mode of action for this purpose. Interferons have antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory activities. However, these have not translated into a high level of cure rates against warts. With all current treatments, recurrent warts are common. That is why many people would like to hear more about HPV infection and cervical dysplasia, as well about its natural treatment.
What is genital HPV infection?
Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease caused by human papillomavirus. Human papillomavirus or HPV 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 viruses. These viruses are able to infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva, or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who are infected will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own. Some of these viruses are high-risk types. They are serious and they are able to cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis anywhere they took place. Others viruses are 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. In some cases, those growths are cauliflower shaped.
How common is HPV?
Approximately 20 million people have diagnosis of HPV at this moment. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives especially those sexually active. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection and about 6.
2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year.
How do people get HPV infection?
The types of HPV that infect the genital area are able to 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, where baby will very rarely develop warts in the throat or voice box.
Signs and symptoms of HPV
Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they have HPV, as most infections are silent. The virus lives in the skin or mucous membranes and usually causes no symptoms, while some people get visible genital warts, or have pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, vulva, anus, or penis. Very rarely, HPV infection could result in anal or genital cancers. Genital warts usually appear as soft, moist, pink, or flesh-colored swellings. Most commonly, patients report these warts in the genital area. They can be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large. In some cases, they could be cauliflower shaped. They can appear on the vulva, in or around the vagina or anus, on the cervix, and on the penis. It could occur on scrotum, groin, or thigh as well. After sexual contact with an infected person, warts may appear within weeks or months. As you have already heard, for some people, warts may not appear at all. Doctor will diagnose genital warts by visual inspection. Professional could remove visible warts 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, because no treatment regimen for genital warts is better than other is. In the same time, there is no one-treatment regimen ideal for all cases.
How is HPV infection diagnosed?
Most women get diagnosis with HPV based on abnormal Pap tests. A Pap test is the primary cancer-screening tool for cervical cancer or pre-cancerous changes in the cervix. The truth is many of these pre-cancerous changes relates to HPV. In addition, a specific test is available to detect HPV DNA in women, and it is commonly diagnostic method in women with mild Pap test abnormalities. The results of HPV DNA testing can help health care providers decide if further tests or treatments are necessary for HPV infection. In the same time, no HPV tests are available for men.
Is there a cure for HPV infection?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for HPV infection. However, it is important to say in most women the infection goes away just like that, without some special treatment. That is why many women are seeking for natural treatment for HPV infection. The treatments provided directs to the changes in the skin or mucous membrane caused by HPV infection.
Is there connection between HPV and cervical cancer?
All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities that do not have serious consequences. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, although in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that 90 percent of women with cervical HPV infection become 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 getting cervical cancer later. The good news is that 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 cervical cancer. It is valuable to hear that most women who develop invasive cervical cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screening.
What is cervical dysplasia?
When a female goes to a clinic or her health care provider for a Pap smear, they are screening the cells on her cervix. The main purpose is to make sure that there are no abnormal or precancerous changes. If the Pap test results show these cell changes, it is cervical dysplasia. Other common terms the health care provider may use include are abnormal cell changes, precancerous cells changes, CIN, which means cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, SIL, or squamous intraepithelial lesions, and warts on the cervix. All of these terms mean similar things, how doctor found abnormalities. Most of the time these cell changes, are due to HPV infection. Just because a female has cervical dysplasia, it does not mean she will get cervical cancer immediately. It means that her health care provider will want to monitor closely her cervix every so often. The doctor should also do treatment to prevent further cell changes that could become cancerous over time if left unchecked. HPV is a very common virus, and most females with HPV do not develop cervical cancer at all. Cervical cancer is a slow-growing condition that usually takes years to progress, which is why screening on a regular basis is important. This is because screening can catch any potential problems before they progress.
Treatment for HPV and cervical dysplasia
Currently, there is no treatment to cure HPV since there is no cure for any virus at this point. However, there are several treatment options available these days for treating the abnormal cells. Sometimes treatment may not even be necessary for mild cervical dysplasia since these cells can heal alone, where the health care provider will just want to monitor the cervix. HPV may then be in a latent state but it is unknown if it totally gone or just not detectable. The goal of any treatment will be to remove all abnormal cells. This may also end up removing most of the cells with the HPV in them as well. If the abnormal cells are treated, or if they have healed on their own, it may possibly help reduce the risk of transmission to a sexual partner.
When choosing what treatment to use, the health care provider will consider many things, such as location of the abnormal cells, size of the lesions on the cervix, and degree or severity of the Pap smear results. Treatment also depends of degree or severity of the colposcopy and biopsy results, HPV test results, age and pregnancy status, or previous treatment history. There is a variety of treatments for cervical dysplasia.
- Cryotherapy is freezing the cells with liquid nitrogen.
- LEEP has other name as loop electrosurgical exision procedure.
- Conization or cone biopsy is also possible treatment for cervical dysplasia.
- Laser is not as widely used today due to high cost, lack of availability, and not all doctors have appropriate training with using it. That is why LEEP is more common to treat cervical dysplasia.
Some doctors even recommend no treatment at all since even mild abnormal cell changes may resolve without treatment. The health care provider may just monitor the cervix by either doing a colposcopy, repeat Pap testing, or a test for HPV to control this condition.
Natural treatments for HPV and cervical dysplasia
Vitamins that might help are beta-carotene, folic acid and selenium. You should make sure you are getting plenty of those vitamins. The vitamins do not cure the dysplasia but it aids your immune system and helps to keep the cells from turning cancerous. This will give you time to see if you can heal yourself or not. Echinacea, goldenseal, and shiitake Mushrooms are also helpful in some cases. Some patients will get advice to do a daily douche with mix of one-teaspoon white vinegar, one-teaspoon liquid beta-carotene, and one-quart warm water. For some patients it is dramatically working one herb-vitamin called Beta-Mannan. They boast a 95% cure rate for cervical dysplasia for many patients.
