HPV Treatment

HPV treatment may vary depending on the condition induced by the infection, concurrent infection and the type of the virus. HPV infection cause different cutaneous conditions. Genital HPV infection is considered to be the most problematic form and it is generally responsible for two conditions: dysplasia and genital warts.

For an adequate HPV treatment it is very important to identify which HPV type is present in the patient. Today more than 100 types of the virus have been identified and they are divided into several groups. One group of HPV types is responsible for common warts: another groups cause genital warts (condyloma); there are also specific HPV types considered to be the main cause of cancer of the cervix. Depending on the ability to induce cell changes which may degenerate into malignancy, HPV types are divided into low risk HPV types and high risk HPV types.

Absence of clinical symptoms is one of the features of HPV infection. HPV can stay inside the host cell before or after the infection is active. If symptoms of HPV infection regress without treatment, it does not always mean that the person is cured. After the external lesions disappear themselves or are removed, HPV may reside in a visually healthy skin for several months or years. Therefore, it is considered that HPV treatment is successful if there is no reoccurrence during 6-12 moths after the therapy.

Genital warts are non-cancerous tumors that may appear both in men and women. They are caused by low risk HPVs and their malignant potential is minimal. If the immune system of the person with genital warts is strong enough, the disease is very likely to go away on its own. At the same time, there are quite a lot of methods for HPV treatment which help to effectively remove the warts. In order to avoid the reoccurrence of the lesions it is recommended to use antiviral therapy for HPV-infected patients.

HPV-induced dysplasia is more common in women than in men, and it usually affects female genital tract. The most frequent sites of dysplasia associated with HPV are vulva, vaginal and cervical walls, and anal area. Most cases of severe dysplasia are linked to the HPV infection with a high risk HPV type, therefore the risk of cancer is increased in these cases. Due to this fact, women with cervical or vaginal dysplasia often need HPV treatment which allows to prevent the development of cancer.