HPV Cure And Treatment Options

HPV, also known as the human papillomavirus affects at least twenty millio
Americans. Commonly, the infection is found on the skin. It can also affect mucous membranes. Oftentimes, HPV shows no symptoms. It is most readily identifiable as a wart or wart outbreak. HPV occurs in different strains, some of which are cancer causing. A person contracts the human papillomavirus from another person through the skin or mucous. HPV is often transmitted sexually. No HPV cure exists yet, but the infection is often non consequential. It will heal on its own and if it does not, a patient has many treatment options available.

The course of treatment is often derived by the specific type of HPV diagnosed. The symptoms a patient presents will help a health care professional with a diagnosis. For instance, plantar warts, common warts and genital warts are symptoms that correspond with specific HPV strains. Some cannot even be detected without medical equipment and procedures like Pap smears. Rarely, HPV appears in some patients as respiratory papillomatosis. If a patient has a compromised immune system, they are at risk for developing epidermodysplasia verruciformis. This results in skin lesions.

Patients with HPV are often advised to wait before taking further action. HPV will often clear on its own. Women whose Pap smear comes back abnormal are advised to take this approach first. One to two years later they are tested again, and found to be without infection.

A more aggressive treatment option is cryotherapy. Affected tissue is removed in cryotherapy using low temperature. Liquid nitrogen is applied by a doctor to freeze the abnormal cells and surrounding area. The procedure acts in destroying the infected tissue and prevents its re growth. Cryotherapy is used for several factors, including its efficiency and low side effect risks. A virtually painless and simple procedure cryotherapy is a popular option.

Another option is called conization. Conization is often used as a diagnostic tool, but is employed in HPV treatment as well. The procedure excises a cone shaped section of tissue that can be tested for specific HPV strains. Therapeutically, the doctor will try to remove all irregular cells. Women subject to cervical conization are at risk for cervical stenosis. This can result in endometriosis (abnormal cell growth in and around the uterine cavity). Cervical conization causes incompetent cervix in some pregnant women. This disorder often results in preterm birth and miscarriage.

A treatment that has seen a recent surge in implementation is known as LEEP. Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure is used to remove abnormal cells by using electrical currents controlled by a doctor. The procedure is performed while the patient is under local anesthetic. In more extreme cases, general anesthetic is needed. Because of the electricity, LEEP can cut and cauterizes simultaneously. This element makes it the preferred method for most doctors. LEEP is safer than conization, but still produces side effects like infection and hemorrhaging.

A topical agent is another option in treating HPV symptoms. Topical applicants are categorized into two groups: one acts to destroy tissue compromised by HPV, and another to aids the immune system in warding off infection naturally. Both treatments are effective in wart eradication, but the body is likely to re grow the tissue removed. Topical solutions for HPV have several side effects, most often causing skin irritation, sores, and inflammation.

No HPV cure has yet been found, but there are abundant treatment options available. These different options can decrease HPV symptoms and sometimes remove them altogether.