Human Papilloma Virus, which is, transmission and diagnosis
Written by:
What is the Human Papilloma Virus?
HPV or human papilloma virus is a virus that causes an infection in men. An infection that can occur in the skin, in the mucous membranes, both oral mucosa and genital mucosa in the uterine cervix, ie in different parts of the body. In dermatology we see mainly those that affect the skin or anogenital area and will be very frequent in the general population, in Spain there are many patients who have the human papillomavirus.
It is a pathology that in most of the population is banal and what we see in dermatology, which are fundamentally skin lesions or papillomas , they call it plantar warts, or viral warts on the hands, or on the face, It is usually a common pathology, very common that we usually treat. Another pathology that we see in dermatology, which are condylomata or anogenital warts that are sexually transmitted, we will see them very frequently and we will have to give the appropriate advice.
How is the Human Papilloma Virus transmitted?
The transmission of human papillomavirus is among men by direct contact of skin with skin , mucosa with skin, that is, it is a direct contagion. The most frequent thing we see is HPV in children. Plantar warts or papillomas are very common in other areas of the body such as the face, hands, and this transmission is frequent because the child's immune system is still immature and it is more common for the virus to nest, for example, in the plant. feet and give rise to the papillomas.
Another different family, or another form of contagiousness is the sexual route, and it gives rise to condylomata or genital warts, or anogenital. It is completely different because it is frequent to be sexually, but not all occasions will be sexually, there may be innocent infections through other ways, we can not establish when the infection has been because many of the papilloma virus is our skin or mucous membranes and will develop later, then we can not know or directly how contagion has been, why exactly, or how long the infection has been.
Diagnosis of the Human Papilloma Virus
The diagnosis of the infection caused by the papilloma virus in general is simple. They are injuries that are easy to recognize. A wart on the sole of the foot, that we see an endurated zone, with a lot of horny layer, that is to say, hardness in the skin, blackish points that means that the cups have coagulated, it is an easy diagnosis. Therefore it is called clinical diagnosis, we see it and we will diagnose the plantar wart or papilloma, or a wart in another area of the organism such as condyloma or verruca vulgaris in the hands, etc.. Sometimes the diagnosis is not so easy, and we have to do some other test such as a skin biopsy, or microbiological diagnostic tests, which are going to be, as I said, more infrequent.
What is the relationship between HPV and cancer?
One of the problems of the human papilloma virus is that it can cause cancer, in fact it is one of the most important problems, which they see mainly in gynecology, because it gives rise to cancer of the cervix. But it is human papillomavirus different from what we see in dermatology usually, which are warts or are condylomata or genital warts. Therefore, these types of human papilloma virus that we see on the skin and mucous membranes, in general, are different from those of the cervix.
