Different Types of HPV
HPV isn’t just one condition or one disease. Human Papillomavirus spreads across a wide range of different infection types. The good news is that the most common types are easily treatable, and that many of the least common types tend to be essentially harmless, showing no actually symptoms.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll only focus on the types you need to be concerned about. These include the various HPV types that do show symptoms in the form of warts, and a few types which do not show symptoms, but which can lead to further complications. The fact is that there are a lot of HPV types that you simply don’t have to worry about, so we’ll focus on the more harmful or uncomfortable types which can be prevented, identified, and properly treated.
Common Warts
These are the types we’ve all had, types 2 and 7. They cause warts on the hands and feet, but they’re really not a big deal, they’re just ugly and uncomfortable. Some simple over the counter treatment can usually take care of them.
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).
Nutrition to reduce risk of HPV
There is no magic diet, no special fruit or vegetable that will make you impervious to HPV. There’s no way to reduce risk of contracting HPV by 100%, as even the HPV vaccine only protects against the high risk forms that can lead to cancer and so on. That said, you can make some simple changes to your diet to improve your immune system, so as to greatly reduce your risk of contracting HPV, and, should you contract HPV, your immune system will be able to rid your body of the infection that much more quickly.
In fact, let’s forget about HPV for a minute and just consider this: If you eat healthy, you will feel better.
A lot of health food people get it wrong. Eating better isn’t about living longer, it’s not about avoiding foods that will “kill you” (no food can really kill you unless you’re suffering from serious obesity or blood pressure and cholesterol problems) it’s about making the years you have available to you more enjoyable. If you eat well, you will be in a better mood, as nutrition plays a vital part in maintaining mental health. If you eat well, you’ll be stronger, faster, less tired, you’ll feel more comfortable and look better in your own body, your skin will look and feel better, your bones will be stronger, you’ll get sick less often, and you will be happier. You will live longer, as well, but the real point is that, in the here and now, you can improve your quality of life by leaps and bounds by making a few simple dietary changes.
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
HPV statistics
Looking for some quick HPV statistics? Alright, let’s cut to the chase. We’ll lay out some of the most important details regarding human papilloma virus in an easy to read Q&A format.
How likely am I to catch HPV?
You are probably going to contract HPV and spread it on to someone else at some point in your life. It’s estimated that over 90% of people contract HPV at some point or another. The good news is that this is no big deal. Most strains of HPV do not lead to any further complications like cancer and so on, and many don’t even show themselves in the form of hand warts or anything.
What are all the strains of HPV?
Too many to list here! However, there are about 250 or so strains of HPV. Most of them are pretty harmless or benign. The most dangerous forms of HPV tend to be somewhat rare, although fifteen types can lead to cancer and other complications, these include; 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, and 73. Unfortunately, these types do not actually show themselves in the form of obvious warts, and this puts more responsibility on the individual to have regular checkups, especially for women. Between three thousand and four thousand women die of cervical cancer every year, with HPV being responsible for around 70% or more of all cervical cancer cases.
How can I reduce the risk of catching genital HPV strains?
How HPV is transmitted
It’s estimated that nine in ten people will contract HPV at some point in your life. Don’t worry, though. Most HPV strains are pretty harmless. Most HPV strains either result in warts, or no visible symptoms or health complications at all. The forms that do result in warts never really lead to anything more, and all of these forms will take care of themselves over time as long as you eat well, exercise and keep your immune system strong.
But the question is, how is everybody catching HPV? 90% of people don’t contract cancer or HIV, so why HPV? It’s a little like the common cold, chicken pox, or Pac-Man Fever; almost all of us catch it at one point or another.
Warts are actually surprisingly easy to transmit. You don’t ever even have to meet a person with warts to contract their HPV. Again, warts are no big deal, they’re just gross. They’re only a problem when over the counter medicine doesn’t seem to do anything, or they’re recurring, in which case, professional aide can help solve the problem. But, you won’t get cancer or anything like that thanks to warts. Even genital warts are not a cancer risk.
Common warts and plantar warts can be transmitted thanks to something as simple as sharing a doorknob or a public shower. The fear of contracting HIV or something through a toilet seat or an eating utensil is all bunk, but HPV can be transmitted that easily. This is thanks to the protein shell each HPV cell is equipped with. This shell allows them to survive for much longer than most viruses on even non-porous, dry surfaces. You can combat this by just practicing sanitary measures. Wash your hands regularly, keep your home and place of work clean, you know the drill. Wear those rubber slippers if you use a gym with public showers, etcetera.
How are warts removed?
A word of warning: This article focuses on the methods employed by doctors and over the counter remedies to remove warts. If the very suggestion of using scissors on a wart makes you squeamish, you may want to skip this one.
That said, most HPV infections will clear up on their own. You don’t need to go see a doctor or even buy any ointments or treatments to remove a wart. If you eat healthy, take in plenty of vitamins, sunlight, and exercise, your immune system, nine times out of ten, will get rid of your wart for you within one or two weeks.
The problem only occurs when a wart infection is persistent, when it just won’t go away, or keeps coming back. That is when you should start looking into over the counter medication. When over the counter wart treatment does not work, that’s when the doctor comes in. You don’t need to jump right into wart removal. If you can get rid of your wart by eating a little better, there’s no need to waste time on a doctor visit, as warts are not really a serious health risk. Some forms of HPV are certainly dangerous, but, even with genital warts, there are no recorded instances of visible warts leading to serious illness or cancer. The HPV types that lead to further health complications usually don’t have any visible symptoms.
So, with that in mind, if nutrition has failed you, here are some of your options:
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.