Features and Treatments for HPV.

¶ … features and treatments for HPV. The Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a type of sexually transmitted disease (STD) that affects millions of women in this country and around the world. It is the most common STD, and it can lie dormant for years, which makes it so hard to diagnose and treat. There are more than 40 strains of the disease, it can affect both men and women, and many people never know they have it. Some of the strains can ultimately lead to cervical cancer in many women, and other, unrelated strains can cause genital warts in men and women. It seems that HPV has been in existence for centuries, and today, it is still widely spread even though more people learn about it every day. In the future, it can be controlled with a vaccine administered to young girls, but it cannot be cured by that vaccine.

In many cases, there are no outward symptoms or effects of the disease, so infected men and women do not know they have it, and so they pass it on to their sexual partners with no knowledge. In the strains that create genital warts, these white, raised bumps can appear in the genital area, and they are really one of the only signs of the disease. If the strain turns into cervical cancer, there are very few signs that anything is wrong until the cancer is advanced. There are some strains that can cause other types of cancer, such as vulva or vaginal cancer, but these are extremely rare. Thus, there are really no physical or metabolic effects of the disease. Physiologically, everything appears normal. In addition, in many cases, the disease clears itself from the body within two years, so some sufferers may never even know they had the disease (Editors). Two writers note, "Most HPV infections occur without any symptoms and go away without treatment over the course of a few years. However, in some people HPV infections can persist for many years" (Barrett, and Bissell). Many of the strains are very low-risk, while the ones that can lead to cervical cancer are known as high-risk.

Regular Pap smears can indicate the disease, and often it is an abnormal Pap smear that indicates something is wrong. Because the disease is so prevalent, many healthcare researchers are working on developing a self-sampling Pap smear for women to administer on themselves. A group of writers notes, "Several studies have found that women who have experienced both physician Pap testing and vaginal self-sampling reported a preference for self-sampling" (Howard et al.). This could help stop the spread of the disease in developing countries, where more women area aware of the need for regular pap smears, but in other countries around the world, Pap smears are often unavailable, and there are more instances of cervical cancer in those country, largely because of undiagnosed HPV that goes undetected.

In recent years, a vaccine has been developed that can prevent the four most prevalent forms of HPV. As it has been used, it has been shown to be particularly successful in preventing cervical cancer in young women patients. Three authors write, "In clinical trials, the vaccine has been 100% effective in preventing the 2 types of HPV (types 16 and 18) responsible for 70% of cervical cancers and the 2 types of HPV (types 6 and 11) responsible for 90% of genital warts" (Vamos, McDermott & Daley, 2008). If the patient suffers from genital warts, they can be removed by a doctor using podophyllin solution, which is then washed off. In rare cases, they have to be removed by freezing, surgery, or with laser treatment (Editors). In the case of cervical cancer, it is usually treated with surgery to remove the cervix and any other affected organs, and then radiation or chemotherapy.

In some cases, people have had reactions to the vaccine, but they were mostly minor, such as nausea or reddening of the area around the shot location. The side effects of cancer treatment can be much more profound. There can be complications from surgery, and radiation and chemotherapy can cause weakness, nausea, hair loss, and many other symptoms. In most other cases, there are very few if any side effects, and, as noted, the disease can clear up by itself.