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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
In addition to Herpes, there are other viral infections affecting people all over the world. They are: | Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Some 5.5 million new cases of HPV infection are reported each year in the U.S.. Twenty million Americans, men and women alike, are infected with this virus. HPV is a double stranded DNA virus that is the causative agent of genital warts. There are more than 65 types of the virus. Infection with specific types of HPV can lead to neoplastic changes in genital epithelia. The lesions are usually papules or plaques that may be hard to see. In women, the infection may be intravaginal or cervical. If the cervix becomes affected, cervical cancer can result. Because of the contagious and possibly neoplastic nature of the infection, treatment is necessary. Destructive treatment includes removal of the warts by the use of lasers, freezing or burning. Some medications may be applied by a physician (podophyllin, trichloracetic acid) or the patient with proper training (podofilox, imiquimod), but there are some side effects. These include pain, burning, inflammation, skin erosion, scarring, erythema and the medications should not be used during pregnancy. There is no cure and the warts may recur at any time. Patients with genital warts are also at risk for other STDs. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Some 900,000 Americans are estimated to be infected with HIV with 40,000 being added each year. Half of these cases are in those under 25 years of age. The most common risk factor for this disease is male homosexual intercourse. In addition, the virus can be spread by heterosexual intercourse or by blood transfusions, although these are less common. Thus HIV infections are preventable. HIV is a virus that affects the human immune system, specifically T-helper cells that have a CD4+ marker on their surface. These T-helper cells normally function to protect against infection. When HIV enters one of these cells, it is protected by a capsule. This capsule breaks open and a single strand of RNA is released along with an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. Reverse transcriptase than converts the single strand of RNA into a double strand of DNA. This DNA is then incorporated into the normal cellular DNA. The rest of the immune system does not respond because the virus is inside the cell. The HIV virus has taken over the cellular machinery and forcing the immune system to make millions of copies of the HIV virus. Infected persons frequently succumb to opportunistic infections. Clinically, HIV presents with flu-like symptoms, and then the symptoms go into dormancy but the virus continues to replicate. As the amount of HIV virus in the body increases, the immune system is further impaired and opportunistic infections become more common. Some of the most common infections include thrush (fungal infection), Kaposi's Sarcoma (cancer), pneumonia, recurrent herpes infections, and in later stages severe bacterial, protozoal or fungal blood stream infections. There are many medications available to help slow the progression of HIV, however no cure is currently known and many infections are drug resistant. Clearly prevention of infection is rational and desirable. If you have questions and also for appropriate diagnosis and treatment, talk to a doctor. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 January 2006 )
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Other Viral STDs 
