What is HPV?
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common viral infection transmitted primarily through sexual contact. It is quite frequent. It is estimated that among people aged 15 to 59, 2 in 5 (40%) will have HPV, although for most it will not cause any symptoms.
There are more than 100 types of HPV and most do not cause serious health problems.
They are usually classified into “high risk” and “low risk” based on their ability to cause cancer. Some high-risk serotypes, such as 16 and 18, are primarily associated with cervical cancer in women. There are also low-risk serotypes, such as 6 and 11, which often cause genital warts.
How is HPV transmitted?
You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with a person who has the virus. HPV is most commonly spread through anal or vaginal sex but can also be transmitted through direct skin contact during sex. HPV can spread even when a person with the infection has no signs or symptoms.
You can get the virus even by having sex with just one person. Additionally, symptoms can appear years after having sex with someone who has the infection. Therefore, it is very difficult to trace the infection and know when the initial infection occurred.
What symptoms does HPV cause?
When it generates symptoms, the most common manifestation is the appearance of genital warts, lumps or sores. On rare occasions it is associated with certain types of cancer. The most studied has been cervical cancer in women, but it has also been associated with penile cancer, and anal and oropharyngeal cancer in men and women.
To date, the factors that cause HPV to generate symptoms in some people and not in others are not well known.
How to remove genital warts?
There are different methods for removing genital warts.
- Chemicals applied to the skin.
- Cryotherapy.
- Electrosurgical removal.
Should I get tested to see if I have HPV?
Currently, HPV testing in asymptomatic men is not recommended or standardized.
There is no way to know when you got HPV.
There is no way to know who gave you HPV.
Having HPV does not mean that your partner is having sex with other people.
However, being in a long-term monogamous relationship makes contracting a new HPV infection unlikely.
Get vaccinated against HPV, yes or no?
The most important thing to decide is to have the right information. Let’s explain this issue a little.
Population vaccination must be differentiated from individual vaccination.
Since January 2023, in Andalusia the child population (boys and girls) has been vaccinated at age 12 (2 doses). Included in the vaccination schedule.
Currently, vaccination for people over 26 years of age is not clearly recommended. The reason is that the effectiveness of the vaccine once the infection is contracted is unclear. Furthermore, the immune response to the vaccine is more intense and effective in younger people and appears to lose effectiveness with age. Therefore, vaccination against HPV between 27 and 45 years of age seems to generate fewer benefits.
Although the vaccine does not cure the virus you already have, there are many forms and types of viruses as we have said before (up to 100). So getting the vaccine can protect you from the other ways you haven’t been exposed to. Vaccines are generally intended for high-risk serotypes.
What types of vaccines exist?
- Bivalent (Cervarix)
- Quadrivalent (Gardasil 4)
- Nonavalent (Gardasil 9). It is the most frequently used. This vaccine includes protection for genotypes: 6,11,16,18,31,33,45,52,58. It is estimated that these genotypes cause 90% of the pathology associated with HPV in Spain.
It can be given to adult males between the ages of 27 and 45 after careful discussion of the risks of contracting a new HPV infection and the potential benefits of the vaccine.
It is administered intramuscularly in 3 doses (initial dose and then at 2 and 6 months).