[메디컬투데이=정현민 기자] Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that causes disease by infecting through the skin or subcutaneously, and there are more than 120 types. The problem is that the possibility of infection in high-risk groups such as condyloma (genital warts) and cervical cancer cannot be ruled out.
Genital warts are HPV contagious diseases that occur around the genitals and are characterized by the appearance of warts like millet around the genitals. If left untreated, the number will increase over time and the lesions will become wider. Above all, you need to be careful as the possibility of contagion is very high even with just one relationship.
Treatment is also not easy, but there are many cases of recurrence even after trying drug treatment, cryotherapy, and electrocautery. In fact, there are not a few cases where genital warts are chronically ill without treatment at the root.
Cervical cancer refers to a malignant tumor that appears in the cervix. Most of them are infected with HPV high-risk group, and they develop into invasive cervical cancer through dysplasia and cervical carcinoma in situ.
The problem is that the stage of cervical cancer takes place over a long period of 7 to 8 years. In addition, there are many unfortunate women who do not easily notice the onset of the disease because there are no special clinical features. In particular, it is known that it takes about 14 years to develop from carcinoma in situ to microinvasive carcinoma.
| ▲ Dr. Ryu Je-man (Photo = Courtesy of Goldman Urology Department) |
As the treatment process for genital warts is difficult and it is difficult to know the early onset of cervical cancer, it is desirable to make active preventive efforts. The cervical cancer vaccination vaccine helps strengthen immunity against HPV with Gardasil. In other words, the antibodies produced by the vaccine lower the possibility of persistent HPV infection.
Gardasil is divided into 2-ga, 4-ga, and 9-ga. Bivalent and quadrivalent means that it prevents 2 and 4 types of HPV infection, respectively. That is, the higher the number, the wider the range of prevention can be defined. The representative preventive method is the Gardasil 9-valent vaccine, which can be vaccinated by men and women aged 9 to 26 and 9 to 45, respectively. The number of vaccinations for Gardasil is divided into 2 and 3 times by age. The second dose can be administered 6 to 12 months after the first dose. For the 3 doses, additional doses are required 2 months after the first dose and 6 months after the first dose.
Goldman Urology Seoul Branch Director Ryu Je-man said, “In case of HPV, it is good to actively practice Gardasil vaccination regardless of gender because it can cause anal cancer, genital warts, and oral cancer in men.”
Reporter Jung Hyun-min of Medical Today ([email protected])
[저작권자ⓒ 메디컬투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]
