Thursday, February 18, 2010

How is HPV Infection Diagnosed

Infection by HPV is very common. At least half of people who are sexually active will contract the HPV virus at some point in their lives. Yet many don't know it because they don't have any symptoms. Whether symptoms occur or not can depend on the type of HPV virus involved in the infection. There are more than 100 types of HPV.

Some types of HPV are associated with cervical and other cancers, and no warts occur, and no other symptoms may be noticed. Some HPV types also cause common warts that you can find on other areas of the body such as your hands or feet. Some HPV types are associated with genital warts, although the warts are not always visible.

Genital warts take on many different appearances. They can be raised, flat, pink, or flesh-colored. Sometimes there is a single wart; other times multiple warts appear. They can be on the anus, cervix, scrotum, groin, thigh, or penis. Genital warts can show up weeks or even months after sexual contact with a person infected with HPV virus.

Some types of genital HPV infection are associated with cancer. If infection occurs with one of these virus types, precancerous changes can occur in cells in the tissue without causing any symptoms. The longer the virus is in the body, the higher your risk of developing health problems such as cervical cancer or anal cancer.

The appearance of genital warts is one way HPV infection is diagnosed. A doctor simply does a visual inspection. The HPV types associated with warts, however, are not generally the types associated with cancer. Women infected with the type of HPV that can cause cancer may first be told their Pap test results are abnormal.

Pap tests are the main way doctors find cervical cancer or precancerous changes in the cervix. To find out for sure if the changes are related to HPV, a doctor may decide to perform a DNA test to detect the virus in women who have an abnormal Pap smear. This tells you and your doctor whether the HPV virus you have can cause cancer.

Only certain strains of HPV cause cancer. Indeed, HPV 16 and 18 account for 70% of all cervical cancers. This DNA test is often done on women who have mild Pap test abnormalities. It may also be done as part of a routine Pap test to women over age 30. In the HPV test, a doctor takes a swab of cells from the cervix, just as for the Pap test.

The cells are then analyzed in the laboratory. The test can identify 13 of the high-risk HPV types associated with cervical cancer. This test is rarely given routinely to women under 30 because so many younger women are exposed to HPV and their bodies typically clear the infection without treatment.

The DNA test could cause unnecessary worry and concern. Some experts also believe that in younger women the cervix is more susceptible to the HPV virus and that as women get older the cervix may become less susceptible. In men, as in women, genital warts reflect HPV infection. But no specific test for the strains of HPV that cause cancer is available at this time for men.

Combining the Pap test with the HPV test is appropriate for women aged 30 and over. This test helps women and their doctors learn if a woman is at high risk or low risk for developing cervical cancer. If the HPV test is positive, the doctor can then decide if more testing is needed. One test that may be ordered next is a colposcopy.

HPVCurative is a new, highly effective and potent way to cure genital warts. It is valued for its role in the realm of genital warts cures, and has provided total clearance of the infection time after time. It contains certified organic medicinal plant extracts and antiviral essential oils, which have demonstrated the ability to act as an HPV cure in laboratory tests.

Traditional theories postulated that once a person is infected, HPV remained in the body for a lifetime. However, new studies using sensitive DNA techniques have shown that an HPV cure is possible through immunological response. Studies demonstrate that HPVCurative extracts created "significant destruction of HPV cells as evidenced from DNA tests".

HPVCurative contains stringently certified organic antiviral plant extracts, which have the ability to destroy the genital wart virus. The extracts are harvested and distilled by hand for medicinal use -- they are pure and complete. This is essential when creating HPV cures. To learn more, please go to http://www.bcured.net. 


bcured - About the Author:
staff of Nature Power Company, which is a network company dedicated to promoting customers' websites and developing softwares. You can go to the following websites to learn more about our natural organic products. http://www.bcured.net  http://www.naturespharma.org