Different Forms of HPV
HPV, the human papillomavirus, is becoming one of the most hot topics in sexuality, sex
education and health education. It has become a scientific issue, an issue of sexual freedom,
and of course a morally hijacked issue. HPV is a human virus that often results in warts or papules,
hence Human Papillomavirus. Being that this is a virus and not bacterial, your good old pal Alexander Fleming,
discoverer of penicillin, won’t be of much help to you. A virus maintains in your system
for your entire life, or dies away on it’s own. HPV affects the skin and mucous membrane
and can be passed via either portions of your body.
One common mistake is that genital warts look like you’re an amateur cauliflower grower using your
genitalia as a makeshift garden. Not the case. While genital warts often do look like cauliflower (or broccoli,
you be the judge), they can also be flat or round, so be cautious either way. The type of HPV that causes
warts are generally not of the cancer variety, however, simply because someone has the
genital-wart inducing form of HPV does not mean that they do not have other forms of the virus.
Between 5 and 30% of individuals infected have more than one strain of HPV.
Most types of HPV do not show any symptoms (asymptomatic), e.g. do not produce
genital warts. Furthermore, the cancerous forms of HPV tend to be asymptomatic as well.
Currently, there are 100 strains of HPV present. Each type of HPV affects the
body differently. Some HPV strains just cause warts, genital and non-genital. However, there
are a few strains of HPV that are cancerous, attacking mucous membranes such as the cervix,
anus, and penis. Furthermore, there are over 40 strains of HPV that can be transmitted
sexually. Of the 40, about a dozen are considered to be the leading cause of
cervical cancer if left untreated. There are four that are considered the deadliest.
These forms of HPV are known as follows:
– HPV-16
– HPV-18
– HPV 31
– HPV-45
With HPV-16 and HPV-18 being considered more connected with cervical cancer than the
other forms.
Keep in mind that the most rampant estimate going about in the media is that 75% of sexually
active women will get HPV at some point in their life. Remember that these are just estimates.
The CDC states that 15% of the population in the United States are infected with HPV, while
around 50% of sexually active women are infected, which effects more people than rancid
sprouts in your local grocery store.
In the next installment I will be discussing transmission of HPV and detection.
In further installments I will discuss in greater detail the HPV vaccine Gardisal,
and the long windy path it took to become available to most of the public.
Furthermore I would like to explain that I am not trying to instill
fear into my readers. I am primarily attempting to explain in a common sense manner what
HPV is, how to avoid it and what it does to your body if one is infected.
(Source: Human Papillomavirus: HPV Information for Clinicians. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. November, 2006)
Keep the questions coming! david@omniphilia.com