HPV

What is HPV?
HPV (Human papillomavirus infection) virus is mostly sexually transmitted and can cause genital warts, cervical and vaginal cancer in women; It is a virus with more than 100 types. It can cause warts (condyloma), cell proliferation and cancer in different parts of the body. HPV causes wart formation within 2-3 months after being ingested. Warts are most common in the genital area, but they can appear anywhere on the body. 80-90% of HPV is destroyed by the body's defense cells. The cancer-causing process of the HPV virus takes 10-15 years. 99% of oral cancers are HPV positive. HPV virus is considered among the causes of penis, scrotum and anorectal cancers in men.

HPV (human papilloma virus, genital human papilloma virus, hpv virus) is a virus that causes infection in the sexual area, skin and mucosa and causes condyloma acuminatum (condyloma acuminatum). It is a type of virus that causes the formation of wart-shaped masses called (condyloma, condyloma, condyloma). As with many viral diseases, once the HPV virus enters the body, it settles in the cells and causes recurrent infections, occasionally causing flare-ups. Therefore, although HPV infection is considered a disease with no definitive treatment, in recent years it has been thought that some types can be eliminated from the body in a period of 4-5 years and the infection can disappear.

There are nearly 100 types of HPV that are currently known and classified. There are subtypes. Some of them cause infection only in the reproductive system and are called genital HPV. HPV types 6 and 11 most commonly cause genital warts. However, HPV types 16,18, 31,33, 35 and 52 cause cellular changes in the cervix. HPV virus is detected in 95% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. The most important, and perhaps even the only, cause of cervical cancer, which is among the leading female cancers, is HPV infection. For this reason, when the HPV virus and the genital warts it causes are detected, they must be treated and the patients must be followed closely and smear tests and, when necessary, colposcopic examinations must be performed. It is also a fact that in the presence of genital warts (condyloma), which is a result of the HPV virus, this virus is not contagious. It is very common and when these condylomas are burned, the virus often decreases in its contagiousness and enters the convalescence period.

How are the HPV virus and condyloma transmitted? How do genital warts occur?

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and the most common. HPVs that infect the sexual area spread easily through contact. There does not necessarily have to be a full relationship for HPV to be transmitted from one person to another. The disease can also be transmitted by contact of infected skin areas with each other. It can often be transmitted to young people through external "friction" without full sexual intercourse.

The incubation period of the virus is variable. The incubation period varies depending on the HPV type. While the incubation period for some HPV types is 1-2 months, for some HPV types it can reach years. After infection, symptoms may sometimes appear a few months or a few years later. Sometimes the virus can even remain in the body for years without causing any symptoms. Most patients show symptoms within 2-6 months. Contagiousness is highest in the presence of active genital lesions. After warts appear and are treated, the longer the period before warts appear again, the more contagiousness decreases.

Condylomas can be transmitted through any sexual intercourse with an individual carrying genital HPV disease. The virus is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact through microscopic tears and abrasions that occur on the skin during intercourse. The detection of the virus in male semen suggests that it can also be transmitted through contact with body fluids. Not everyone who comes into contact with the virus develops symptoms of infection, but it has been determined that the partners of 60-90% of individuals with conduloma also have the virus. Once the virus enters the body, it can remain silent for many years. It can be seen in anyone who is sexually active, and many sexually active people can be carriers of the HPV virus.

What are the symptoms of HPV - Genital Warts, Condyloma?

•       After contact and infection with HPV, the disease does not necessarily occur. In fact, in most people, HPV is neutralized by the body's own defense system. Another possibility is that the person who gets the virus does not have any symptoms for a long time. is that no symptoms appear. A person can live for years without any complaints. However, this does not prevent him from spreading the disease and he can infect those he comes into contact with. This condition is called silent infection. People who carry the HPV virus that causes genital warts without any symptoms are called "porters".

•       Small warts usually appear in the external genital area. These can be seen by the person or felt by hand. Warts are soft, slightly raised, pink-white colored, cauliflower-like formations. They can be singly or in groups. From time to time, they are not puffed out but are found flat. They can rarely be seen in the vagina or around the anus. Warts may also appear in the mouth and anus after anal or oral sex. In some cases, there may also be warts inside the vagina and on the cervix. There is no pain in condyloma, but occasional itching and burning may occur. Sometimes the patient may not be able to notice it visually, and uncomfortable itching can sometimes be the only symptom.
  
  If left untreated, warts can remain for a long time without any change, but these behaviors are very rare. In general, they have a tendency to constantly grow and expand. If there is another vaginal infection along with the condyloma, this growth usually occurs faster. It mostly spreads to moist and warm areas of the body. If abnormal color and shape changes and abnormal swellings that were not there before are observed around the vagina and anus, if there is itching, burning and bleeding in the genital area, if the partner has or has had condyloma before, it is necessary to undergo a gynecological examination. >

•   Depending on the type of virus, HPV infections can cause some changes in the cells that make up the cervix, called dysplasia, which may lead to cancer. Koilocytosis is detected in the cells in Pap smear. While low-risk types of viruses generally cause changes such as ASCUS, CIN (CIN 1, CIN 2, CIN 3) and SIL that appear in PAP smear, high-risk types can cause cervical cancer in the long term. Therefore, HPV typing is very important. genet HPV DNA typing is easily performed in human laboratories today.

•      Cervical cancer ranks 2nd among the cancers seen in women all over the world and is a lethal cancer. However, it has a special importance among cancer types in terms of being preventable. The only and simplest way to prevent cervical cancer is regular pap smear tests. When abnormalities defined as CIN or SIL are detected in the smear test, the diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy with colposcopy. Then, depending on the degree of the disease, the changed area in the cervix is ​​removed with simple surgeries called LEEP or conization, and then regular check-ups begin. In case of advanced stage CIN or SIL, if the person has completed his/her family and does not want another child, or if he/she is around the age of 40, removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) is another treatment method. These decisions are made according to the patient's age, the patient's family-social situation, and the degree and severity of abnormal changes in the cervix.

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