HPV Information
HPV Men – The Proof You Need Protection
Genital human papilloma virus (or HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Statistics indicate that up to 90% of males and females come into contact with HPV at some point in their life if they have been sexually active. And in many of these cases, they unwittingly pass it on to their partner.
But the good news is that the vast majority of the 250 recognised strains of HPV cause no symptoms, signs or illness and our immune system works to destroy the infection with no side effects. However, medical researchers have isolated 15 strains of the virus that can lead to serious health risks.
When it comes to the consequences of HPV, men are relatively fortunate because the most serious strains of HPV can lead to cervical cancer and death in women. Every year around 3000 to 4000 women die from cervical cancer, and in 70% of these cases, the cancer is directly related to HPV.
What are the Dangers of HPV?
HPV Prevalence by Country
You’ve probably contracted HPV at some point in your life. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve contracted genital HPV, too.
Shocked? Don’t be. More than half of all adults have had “common warts” at one point or other, warts that affect the hands, feet, elbows or knees. That’s why they call them common warts. They’re uncomfortable, but they’re really no big deal.
As for genital HPV, believe it or not, there are actually several types of HPV that affect the genitals, but which do not lead to warts, do not lead to cervical cancer, and are basically harmless in every way, shape and form.
To list the HPV statistics in different parts of the world …
Australia
Anogenital Warts
Anogenital warts are a commonly misunderstood disease. Caused by Human papilloma virus types 6, 11, 42, 43, 44 and 55, among others, anogenital warts, sometimes simply called genital warts, are a type of genital HPV, but are only one small subsection of genital HPV.
Other types of genital HPV may lead to genital cancers, such as cervical cancer, while others may lead to no symptoms whatsoever. Luckily, the types that lead to anogenital warts do not lead to cancer.
That said, the presence of anogenital warts should not be taken as a sign that you do not have an HPV type that can lead to cancer. Multiple HPV types can affect an individual at once, and it is entirely possible to have both anogenital warts and developing cervical cancer from two or more different strains of genital HPV.
Anogenital warts tend to spread only through direct sexual contact. It is possible for anogenital warts to spread to the mouth, though it is somewhat rare.
The link between smoking and HPV
To eliminate any possibility of misunderstanding right off the bat: Smoking does not cause HPV, and it does not increase your likelihood of contracting HPV (at least, not anymore than it increases your likelihood of contracting any other disease). The main reason you shouldn’t smoke is now and always has been and always will be the possibility of lung cancer.
However, there is a link between HPV and smoking cigarettes. In 2001, the Journal of the American Medical Association found that smoking cigarettes can contribute significantly to the risk of infections with cancer causing strains of HPV escalating to cervical cancer.
Smoking increases your risk of cancer, no matter what. Not all smokers exposed to HPV will develop LSIL, or Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions, the condition which leads to cervical cancer, but smoking certainly doesn’t help matters, either.
If you smoke, quit. Even if you don’t contract HPV, cigarette smoking can still increase your likelihood of developing cervical cancer (HPV is to blame for about 70% of cervical cancer, but that leaves more than 3,000 cervical cancer victims who do not have HPV).
Little known facts about HPV
Perhaps the most shocking fact about HPV is this: 90% of people will contract HPV before they die. “Human papilloma virus” sounds really scary, so this news may worry some people, but rest easy, most strains of HPV are pretty benign. You may see warts, or you may see nothing, as HPV can lay dormant literally your entire life. It’s only those few strains that can lead to cancer that we need to worry about.
That said, here are some of the other lesser known facts about HPV…
There is a vaccine!
Not really a fact about HPV per se, but it is, nonetheless, a fact that should be shouted from every rooftop. Some of the more fanatical alternative health people are distrusting of the HPV vaccine, but any criticism you hear is simply misinformed. The vaccine does not protect against all HPV strains, but it does protect against the high risk strains, such as the ones which can lead to cervical cancer. A regular pap smear is still in order, but the vaccine can, if administered early enough, eliminate the risk of contracting an HPV strain which leads to cervical cancer. It has drawn some criticism from certain, somewhat misinformed but well meaning conservatives, as well. The vaccine needs to be administered during puberty for best results, and some see this as encouraging adolescent sex. This is silly, though. It’s in the hands of the parents to teach about having sex responsibly, the vaccine is only there to save lives.
70% of HPV infections go away on their own
Don’t hope for the best: making sure you know you’re HPV free
The only way to be one hundred percent certain that you are HPV-free is with medical testing.
If you want to know whether or not you have contracted a genital form of HPV, consider a few factors:
How many sexual partners have you had?
It’s said that, every time you are with a new sexual partner, your risk for HPV increases tenfold. This is no exaggeration. In medical terms, every time you come into sexual contact with someone, you are having second hand sexual contact with every one of their past partners. Even if you feel like you’re being nosy, it’s a good idea to talk with any potential sexual partners about their own history before engaging in intercourse. And, of course, always, always use a condom. HPV can still be transmitted with a condom, as genital HPV affects the entire area around the genitals, and not just the reproductive organs themselves, and not all of that area is covered by a latex condom.
When was the last time you were tested?
Getting an HPV test isn’t a one time thing. If you’ve had a new sexual partner since your last test, there’s no guarantee that you’re still safe. Every time you’ve been with another sexual partner, it’s a good idea to get tested again.
Diagnosing HPV
If you’re worried about contracting HPV, here’s the good news: Over 99% of the time, if you have HPV, you’ll either know it on sight, or, if you don’t, then the infection really isn’t serious, and will pass before long.
But here’s the bad news: The strains of HPV which can lead to cancer do not show any visible symptoms.
According to the American Cancer Society, around eleven thousand women will develop cervical cancer this year, with just under four thousand of these cases ending in death. Cancer causing strains of HPV are to blame for a significant portion of these cases, perhaps as much as 70% or higher.
There are around two hundred or two hundred and fifty different strains of HPV, and luckily, only a small number of these (around fifteen) are considered high risk or can possibly lead to cervical cancer, including HPVs 31, 16, 45, and 18. Because these types do not actually show any visible HPV symptoms, it is absolutely imperative that all women have regular cancer screenings conducted. Luckily, the National Cervical Cancer Coalition estimates that around 89% of women do go in for regular screenings. If you fall into the 11% that do not, get off your butt, and call your doctor. This is too important to put off until you get around to it.
And, of course, even though visible genital warts do not lead to cancer, they don’t mean that you don’t have a more dangerous strain of HPV. Multiple HPV types can exist within the same person’s body, so regular tests need to be conducted, no matter what.
Dealing with the Social Stigma and Misconceptions attached to HPV
There are a lot of rumours, myths and misconceptions about sexually transmitted HPV, and, in some social circles, an unfortunate stigma attached to people who suffer from HPV. These falsehoods range from simple misinterpretation of the actual HPV facts, to outright silliness. Let’s take a moment to dispel these mistruths as well as we can…
Only prostitutes get sexually transmitted diseases like HPV genital warts!
This misconception is one of the most common, and perhaps the most unfortunate. In some communities, people who contract HPV wind up feeling too ashamed to tell even their doctor, and this leads to HPV sufferers who never get the proper treatment because they’re too embarrassed to even admit that they contracted HPV.
The truth of the matter is that more than fifty percent of sexually active people will contract some form of sexually transmitted HPV sometime in their lives, and the causes of HPV can affect anyone. Luckily, most forms of HPV are relatively benign and may come and go without the infected person even knowing they’ve been infected. Other forms may lead to genital warts and even cervical cancer, but it is just plain ridiculous to allege that only promiscuous people or “workin’ girls” will become infected. You could have sex with only one partner your entire life and still contract a form of HPV.
You can spot HPV on sight alone
Genital HPV
Honestly, most forms of HPV are actually pretty harmless and benign. Common warts, for example, may be unsightly and uncomfortable, but let’s be honest, they’re not really a big deal. You put a little treatment on them and they’re gone in a couple weeks.
Genital HPV is what you need to worry about.
Believe it or not, though, it’s not genital warts you have to look out for. Certainly you don’t want genital warts, but aside from the general unpleasantness of genital warts, they rarely lead to any further health complications, and can be treated with relative ease.
The most dangerous forms of genital HPV might not even show any visible symptoms. The most dangerous strains can lead to testicular cancer, cervical cancer, rectal cancer, and penile cancer, and might not even be detectable until the later stages.
Unfortunately, there is no real cure for any strain of HPV. We have all sorts of ointments, chemicals, and treatments to get rid of ugly warts, but HPV stands for Human Papilloma Virus, and as of right now, we still haven’t discovered an effective method for actually killing viruses.
HPV and associated diseases
HPV can lead to many other complications, symptoms and related diseases. Perhaps the most important being cancer, though this isn’t the only thing that can develop as a result of HPV.
Genital warts
Genital warts are the visible sign of HPV types 6 and 11. However, there is a common misconception that venereal HPV means genital warts. Only 6 and 11 cause genital warts, but the entire list of venereal HPV includes types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, and 73. 6 and 11 do not typically lead to cancer, though types 16 and 18 are responsible for about seventy percent of cervical cancer.
Dealing with genital warts is unpleasant, of course, but fortunately, genital warts are not a terminal disease and, once they clear up, will leave nothing but, in some cases, a bit of scar tissue. So in short, venereal HPV can lead to cancer, but genital warts do not.
Common Warts
Caused by cutaneous HPV types, such as strains 1 and 2, common warts appear on the hands and feet, or even on the elbows and knees. These are identified by their cauliflower-like appearance. With the right wart treatment, common warts can be cleared up in just a week or two. It is said that the majority of people will contract common warts as children. Nobody wants warts, but in comparison to some of the other HPV associated diseases and symptoms, an ugly bump on the finger isn’t so bad.
Respiratory papillomatosis