Papillomavirus is a disease that affects the skin of a person and causes serious changes in the epithelium.
According to statistics, today about 30% of people are affected by this virus.
Consider in more detail the symptoms of papilloma virus in men and methods of treating such a disease.
Papilloma virus in men: causes and transmission
A man can become infected with the papilloma virus in the following ways:
1. With unprotected sexual contact with the carrier of the virus. It doesn’t matter what kind of sex it will be (oral, anal or traditional). It is also important to know that the most dangerous types of the virus are transmitted through sexual contact.
2. Blood transfusion of an infected person to a healthy man. In this case, the patient will become a carrier of the virus.
3. The use of insufficiently sterile medical instruments during various procedures (including at the dentist).
4. Use of common household and personal hygiene items (bath, toilet, clothes, towels and especially underwear).
5. There are fixed cases of virus infection through dirty dishes, a kiss and banal unwashed hands after visiting public places (pool, massage rooms, etc.).
At the same time, it is worth knowing that such a virus is not transmitted through the air - only tactile or sexually.
Papilloma virus in men: symptoms and signs
Quite often, a man is a carrier of this virus and does not even know about it. Often a person can even live his life without suspecting that he is sick. This is justified by the fact that HPV has been able for years to proceed with almost no manifestations, especially if the patient’s immune system has enough power to resist the virus.
If a person is weakened, then HPV will have obvious symptoms and manifestations, the features of which will largely depend on the specific type of virus.
In most cases, the papilloma virus in men manifests itself as follows:
1. A person has warts. The places of their localization can be different - both on the skin and on the mucous membranes of the genitals. Outwardly, they have a dense structure and a diameter of up to 1 cm. As for the shape, it can be different - round, asymmetric, oval. It is characteristic that on the wart itself there will be many protruding growths.
The color of these warts is from black to light yellow.
2. The formation of papillomas is a clear sign of HPV in a man. Such structures externally represent a loose formation, which has a round shape and different sizes.
The color of the papillomas can be from pale mustard to brown. It is characteristic that they spread very quickly and appear on new areas of the human epidermis and mucous membranes.
3. Condylomas are formations slightly similar to warts, however, they have a spiky shape and are usually localized on the skin and mucous membranes of the male genital organs (on the head of the penis or on the protective flesh).
4. Papullezis is one of the concomitant diseases that always occurs with HPV. It is also accompanied by the formation of genital warts, which are pink in color. It is possible to identify whether they are dangerous or not only after passing a series of tests.
5. Bowen's disease is also one of the subspecies of the disease with warts on the skin, which indicates the presence of HPV in the human body. In this condition, a red plaque is formed on the penis of a man, having a round shape and clearly defined contours.
It is important to note that the above formations are prone to progression and damage to new areas of the skin. For this reason, when identifying the first signs of the disease, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Papilloma virus in men: diagnosis, treatment methods
When the virus first enters the male body, it stays in the incubation period for a sufficiently long time (from two weeks to six months).
At this time, a person does not feel any manifestations of the disease at all, therefore, he can unknowingly infect others. Moreover, it often happens that a person picks up several virus genotypes at once, some of which can be relatively safe (“sleeping”), while others, on the contrary, are extremely aggressive.
Gradually, the virus activates and weakens the human immune system. It multiplies and begins to manifest itself. According to statistics, in nine out of ten men, the immune system itself suppresses the virus, but in 10% of people it is not cured and goes into a chronic form.
Accurate prognoses are not established for HF. First of all, the patient needs to identify the type of virus. The risk of the transition of formations to oncological form largely depends on this.
To identify HPV, a man should consult a doctor who will examine his neoplasms, collect an anamnesis, complaints and prescribe the following diagnostic procedures:
1. The study of smears from the urethra.
2. Conducting special tests.
3. The capture of tissues affected by the virus and their further verification.
4. Urethroscopy.
5. Diagnosis of the patient’s DNA.
According to doctors, the oncological danger is most manifested in formations that are localized on the glans penis itself, having a genotype of 16 or 18.
To date, no drugs have been produced that are specifically aimed at suppressing the activity of the papilloma virus, therefore, general therapy to patients is carried out comprehensively, depending on the type of virus detected.
In this case, doctors pay special attention to those types of virus that have a risk of oncology. Such a patient is shown constant medical supervision.
Traditional therapy involves the following:
1. The patient is assigned potent immunomodulators to enhance immunity and general strengthening of the body's defenses.
2. Formed papillomas or warts must be removed, especially if their appearance has caused types of viruses that can cause oncology. Such a procedure is done by electrocoagulation or laser removal.
3. With the active form of the virus, antiviral drugs are prescribed to a person. Most often, medications of the interferon group are used for this purpose.
The general treatment of the papilloma virus, unfortunately, is not successful in all patients. The situation becomes even more complicated if several dangerous types of virus are detected in a person at once.
During therapy, doctors recommend taking tests not only to the patient, but also to his sexual partner, who may also be infected.
Papilloma virus in men: treatment, complications, prevention
The papilloma virus is a rather insidious and dangerous disease, which, despite the "quiet course", can lead to such complications:
1. Oncological formations are the most dangerous and at the same time the most frequent complication of HPV. Cancer can be localized on the penis of a man, the rectum (this happens in men who practice homosexual relations when infected with the papilloma virus).
Moreover, oncological formations can also occur in the urethra, nasopharynx and other systems.
2. Suppression of the immune system by the virus.
3. Pain and discomfort in the genitals due to the presence of warts and papillomas there.
4. The risk of infection in damaged papillomas.
Moreover, if you do not cure HPV, a man puts himself at risk of infection not only from his sexual partner, but also from close people who might accidentally become infected through the household.
As a preventive measure for infection with the papilloma virus, men need to adhere to such tips:
1. Use a condom for any sexual contact. This is especially true of the moment when changing a sexual partner, in which you are not sure. In general, it is advisable to have one partner for sexual intercourse, whose health status you will all know. This is the only way to protect yourself from sexual transmission of the virus.
2. Vaccinate against HPV. This vaccine system was developed not so long ago, so not everyone knows about it yet. The vaccination course consists of three injections that need to be done at regular intervals. After them, the body will develop immunity to some (not all) types of virus.
3. Get tested for HPV for prevention.
4. Carefully observe intimate hygiene. At the same time, you should not allow other people to use their personal things (towels, sharp piercing objects, soap, underwear, etc.).
All of the above applies to the papilloma virus in women.
