I, like you, have had my share of questions about the Human Papilloma Virus, otherwise known as HPV. So I recently spoke with two local experts — Dr. Bryan Yingling, a member the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at Lancaster General Health and a member of May-Grant Associates, and Dr. Sergio Buzzini, chief of adolescent medicine at Geisinger Health System in Danville — to get some answers.
Q. What, exactly, is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and how does one contract it?
A. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the nation. There are more than 100 different types of viruses within the HPV spectrum, and of greatest concern to women are the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer. Other strains can cause genital warts.
By age 50, more than 80 percent of all women will show evidence of having been exposed to HPV. While not everyone exposed contracts the virus, the likelihood of exposure rises in correlation to the number of sexual partners a person has.
Q. Is HPV curable?
A. That depends on your definition of “curable.” The virus clears up in most people, but once exposed, the course of the virus is dictated by the individual’s immune system. Ninety percent of women with HPV are HPV-free within two years, although for some the virus remains in a “sleepy” or dormant state only to reappear later.
While the virus itself will clear up, health ramifications persist for those who contract the virus.
Q.What are those health ramifications?
A. The worst possible consequence of HPV is cervical cancer, which kills approximately 4,000 women each year. Women can also contract cervical dysplasia, or a thickening or abnormality of the cervix.
Approximately 1 percent of sexually active men and women will contract genital warts. Genital warts are not malignant and are not precursors to cancer; however, they are painful and, for some, embarrassing.
Other consequences of contracting the HPV virus are cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus and penis.
Q. So men can get HPV, too?
A. Men get genital warts, and they can also get penile, anal and oral cancers. The good news is that the HPV vaccine Gardasil was recently approved for use by men.
Q. What do statistics show about the rise of HPV among teens and young adults?
A. It is not clear if the incidence of HPV is on the rise, or if it is just being diagnosed more often. Statistics show that more than 20 million men and women have already been diagnosed with HPV, and as many as half of those infections are in teens and young adults ages 15 to 24.
Q. Are teens/young adults educating themselves?
A. Most young people don’t think they’re going to contract HPV. At this time, only about 25 percent of teenagers between 13 and 17 are getting the vaccine. With national statistics indicating teens are sexually active, we need to continue to educate.
Lynn Gladieux is a freelance writer who lives in the Oley Valley of Pennsylvania. She is married and a mother to three.
Gardasil is the top-selling HPV vaccine on the market and is the only HPV vaccine that helps protect against four types of HPV: the two types that cause most cervical cancer cases and two additional types that cause most genital warts. Gardasil also helps protect girls and young women ages 9 to 26 against the majority of vaginal and vulvar cancers.
Gardasil may not fully protect everyone, and it may not protect against diseases caused by other HPV types. Routine cervical screenings are important.
Gardasil is given as three injections over six months. There may be side effects, so it is important that Gardasil always be administered by a health care professional.* Gardasil is recommended for all men and women ages 13 and over, and it is covered by most insurance companies.
No comments:
Post a Comment