HPV Virus Treatment

The prevalence of HPV-associated conditions and HPV virus treatment are among the main concerns for health care services in many countries. Nowadays about one third of adult population are carriers of HPV and the number of new cases of HPV-related conditions constantly increases. HPV infection is characterized by a high contagiosity and is frequently spread during sexual relations. This virus is responsible for various conditions such as condylomas, papillomas and dysplasia of the cervix. It is also important that HPV has been found to be the main cause of cervical cancer.

HPV virus treatment may be performed by different ways and includes destructive and chemical methods as well as use of cytotoxic drugs and immune modifiers. As for destructive therapy, HPV-induced lesions can be removed by laser, freezing, electric knife or scalpel. It is also possible to treat some HPV-related conditions with chemicals like trichloroacetic acid and nitric acid solutions. Commonly used cytotoxic drugs for HPV virus treatment are 5-Fluorouracil cream and Podophyllin. The use of interferons and immune supplements has been found to very effective against HPV.

What method should be used is determined by the health care provider based on the results of the diagnostic tests. The most common HPV-related problem is the presence of warts which usually are not too dangerous for human health. HPV infection may also be associated with precancerous and cancerous lesions which may develop without external symptoms. The earlier HPV-related problem is detected, the less expensive and more effective is the treatment.

If the patient has no symptoms, the purpose of HPV virus treatment is the prevention of HPV-associated diseases. In this case the management is directed to reinforce the immune system of the patient, improve the general health, treat inflammatory processes and maintain local immunity. HPV-infected patients should also have pelvic examinations regularly because the medical surveillance of genital organs is of great importance for them.

Nowadays, there is no treatment able to destroy the HPV virus directly, and HPV infection is considered to be impossible to cure for this reason. Existing ways of treatment help to get rid of symptoms or HPV-associated diseases, but they are not very effective to eliminate the infection. It was shown that HPV virus treatment has a higher efficacy rate if it is aimed not only at the removal of visible symptoms, but also at the reinforcement of immune system and inhibition of viral activity.