Like some patients, she sat anxiously in front of me with fear in her eyes, and I knew how helpless she was inside. I greeted her with the usual question: What is wrong with you? She said: I’m not unwell, but my medical examination revealed a problem. I opened her medical report and the positive result instantly came to my eyes: HPV 52 positive. She lowered her voice and said: I haven’t slept much for 2 weeks since I got the medical report, my child is still small, do I have cancer? The answer to this question is very simple, but my heart is very heavy, I can’t answer the word “no” to her, I have to tell her the problems related to cervical HPV infection. What is HPV? HPV is the abbreviation of Human Papilloma Virus, such a foreign name makes people feel too unfamiliar, but it is actually a common virus like a cold virus, it is divided into more than 100 subtypes, of which more than 30 subtypes may cause disease after infection, only the high-risk subtypes of persistent infection may occur cervical lesions or cervical cancer. 2.When do you get infected with HPV? Usually through sexual intercourse. You can also get infected after contact with unclean sanitary ware and products. But I have to say: often I really don’t know when and where I got infected. 3. Who is susceptible to HPV? Sexually active women are susceptible to HPV, and the peak age of infection is 18-28 years old. 4. How does HPV infection affect the body? HPV is like a passerby, traveling through our bodies and slipping away without any effect on our bodies. However, when our immunity is low and our body’s internal environment is suitable for virus growth, HPV takes up residence in our cervical cells and over time, it may cause neoplasia within the cervical epithelium, ranging from mild to severe, or in more serious cases, may develop into cervical cancer. The time interval from the beginning of HPV infection to the development of cervical cancer is about 10-15 years. 5. The importance of HPV subtypes There are more than 30 types of HPV that can cause disease. Low-risk subtype infection only causes mild damage to the squamous epithelium and urogenital warts. High-risk subtypes may cause cervical lesions or cervical cancer. There are more than a dozen common high-risk subtypes, namely: 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68, among which the most pathogenic subtypes are 16 and 18. We treat each subtype of HPV differently. In the case of subtypes 16 and 18, we treat it as a thorn in the side and perform a colposcopic biopsy to determine if the cervical lesion has occurred. In case of other subtypes of infection, it needs to be combined with the results of cervical TCT to determine if there is any abnormality in the cervix. 6. How to treat HPV infection? Simple HPV infection without cervical lesions can be left untreated, or interferon plugs can be used locally in the cervix. If HPV infection triggers cervical intraepithelial lesions, the common treatment methods are physical therapy and cervical conization. Removing the HPV-induced lesions also removes the HPV, which is often referred to as “treating the disease is treating the virus”. Cervical intraepithelial lesions are not cancer, they are benign lesions and can be cured. 7.When do I need to review HPV infection? HPV infection is usually cleared by the body after 8-10 months, and it is appropriate to review it at an interval of 1 year. 8.How do I know if there is a problem with my cervix after HPV infection? If there is discomfort such as bleeding during intercourse and abnormal leucorrhea, of course, you need to see a doctor in time. If there is no discomfort, a TCT test (cervical cancer screening) every 3 years can detect cervical lesions and even early cervical cancer at an early stage. In short, HPV infection is not terrifying in the extreme, but we need to pay attention to it!