Hpv Paper
Essay by Maxi • January 17, 2012 • Essay • 466 Words (2 Pages) • 1,605 Views
HPV does not normally cause any signs and symptoms in patients. If any you will notice genital warts on the vagina, cervix, anus, scrotum, or the penis. The genital warts many take different appearances such as; raised, flat, pink, and sometimes shaped like cauliflower. They may come in one single wart or many may appear. Genital warts can show up to weeks or months after sexual contact with a person who is infected and that person may not even know they are infected increasing your chance of getting the disease. HPV is linked to certain cancers such as, cervical cancer, cancer of the vulva, anus, or penis. If an infection was to occur, precancerous change could occur in a cell in tissue without causing any symptoms.
HPV is diagnosed by the appearance of genital warts by a visual inspection by a doctor. However the types associated with warts aren't the same types associated with cancer which a doctor has then to take either a Pap test for a women or a DNA test. Pap tests are the main way to find cervical cancer in women or the precancerous changes in the cervix. If a doctor has to perform a DNA test then the HPV virus you have may lead to cancer. The appropriate time for getting tested for women is the age 30 and over. In men, genital warts will reflect HPV infection but no specific test for the strains of HPV that cause cancer is available at this time for men.
HPV is preventable by a vaccine known as Gardasil. It protects against the strains of HPV that cause most genital warts. It also protects the strains that would most likely cause cancer. Also a vaccine called Cervarix protects against cervical cancer but not genital warts. Girls around the age 11 and 12 should receive an HPV vaccine or girls and women from the age 13 to 26 should receive it if they already haven't. Gardasil has also been recommended for boys and men of the age 9 through 26 years old. These vaccines are normally given to children before they become sexually active.
There is no cure for HPV but however the infection does clear on its own. There are different kinds of medicine you can take to clear the warts but the most important thing you need is your healthy immune system. There are lotions, gels and pills you can take such as Podophyllin resin which is a liquid that removes the genital warts by stopping cell growth. Also you can use laser treatment, electrocautery which an electrical current is used to super-heat a needle which burns the wart cells and cauterizes the blood vessels. There is also a surgical excision where a doctor will perform minor surgery to remove the wart.
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