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HPV and Colitis

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/13/2008 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have any experience with treating these two illnesses together? I have had both for the last two years, with high risk HPV being diagnosed about three months before my colitis symptons began. I had a cryo treatment in June 2007, and just found out that its back. I'm starting MP6 this week and am nervous about dealing with both these things at once, once again...anyone else out there on this experience?
Lb
Posted 3/13/2008 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
It's my understanding that there are several types of HPV viruses, including those that cause the common warts on hands and plantar warts on foot, etc. My husband has been struggling to get rid of a plantar wart on his foot for the past 4 years. Basically since he was diagnosed with UP, he's had to freeze off way too many common warts on his hands, and has been trying so hard to get rid of the plantar wart on his foot (he's currently having this worked on with pulsed dye lasers). Anyway, I've seen this topic - warts & UC - several times on this board. It seems that a lot of folks with UC have trouble with the HPV virus.

We don't have much experience with the high-risk HPV virus, my husband has only had to deal with common and plantar warts, so I can't tell you what the treatment options are etc. However, from what I understand, the immune response for a person with UC somehow doesn't ward off warts like the immune system of a person without UC.

Sorry I don't have much more info for you. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences. I hope you can get treated, and rid yourself off the HPV virus.

PV
Posted 3/13/2008 10:44 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure what you mean about high risk HPV - can you explain? The only HPV that I am familiar with is what PV said. I was one of them who have been dealing with warts while being on an immune suppressor. I've been having a heck of time with warts because once my immune system was suppressed, it seemed the warts started spreading like wildfire. And I didn't even know that I had the HPV in me until my first wart! I've already had 4 burned off and I have flat warts on my legs that I'm just keeping an eye on for now.
Posted 3/13/2008 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Everyone,
I didn't know that HPV could mean warts on anywhere but women's private parts! There are three kinds of strains of the virus; ones that cause genital warts, ones that cause nothing, and high risk ones. The High Risk HPV I have is the kind that causes cervical cancer. It shows up when you have a pap-smear that comes back irregular or if you have an HPV test that tests positive for certain strains (I had both). It is an incredibly common STD, one that almost everyone has at some point in time, but most people never know because there body is able to fight off the virus. It is the reason that women need to get a pap smear every year. It doesn't effect men, but they are carriers.
Lb
Posted 3/13/2008 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
I think high risk HPV viruses are the ones that have been recently implicated in cervical cancer. Also, I don't think that you get "infected" with the HPV virus the same way as other stuff - ie. it's not in your blood stream - it really just fools the immune system into thinking that it is part of normal skin, and nothing for the immune system to worry about.

For most people, from what I've read, using the acids etc. causes your immune system to wake up, and take notice that there's something going on with your skin there, and help get rid of the HPV virus in that location. However, what I've noticed with my husband is that his immune system just doesn't seem to notice and fight the HPV virus, even if he uses the acids. He has to freeze it off, and use pulsed dye lasers.

The HPV viruses are everywhere, and especially those of us with pets and children are more exposed to it. One of the first questions our dermatologist asked him when he had to go see her with warts was "what kind of pet do you have?" In any case, the high risk HPV virus, can cause cancer of the cervix; pap smears can detect changes in the cervix caused by HPV, and I think they have a procedure to freeze it off, or something like that to get rid of it.

ColitisIsTheWorst - I think it's good that the HPV has been detected, and that you're getting it taken care of. I think if it's come back, it is either a new infection, or they didn't get all of it last time. I'm sorry I don't know more about high risk HPV, but I think you should discuss this with your GI - suppressing your immune system may not be the best thing when trying to rid yourself off HPV, especially the kind that can cause cervical cancer. If I were you, I'd probably wait until I was clear of the HPV virus, before I started immune suppressors (of course this is a completely uneducated opinion).

Please do talk to your GI and to your GYN and see what they recommend you do.
Posted 3/13/2008 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, that is exactly my worry, with starting MP6. However, my GI doc thinks that I am probably more immune suppressed from all the steroids I am taking, then I will be when i am on the right dosage of MP6. It was really interesting to talk to her about it, and what she said is that the MP6 does lower your immune enzymes but not out of the acceptable range of a "healthy-ish" person. I guess the theory is that the Colitis causes the enzymes to be too active.
I am so not a science person, but i am trying to get my head around all this stuff. Your right though, i need to also find a Gynecologist that knows about IBD...
On another note, I do have all sorts of skin stuff, including little warts on my feet. I just thought those were side effects of the meds, didn't realize that was another kind of HPV.
Thanks for talking PV and Red_34!
Posted 3/14/2008 12:57 AM (GMT 0)

ColitisIsTheWorst said...
It doesn't effect men, but they are carriers.

How can they know this?  In my opinion, there is no more reason to scientifically say something like the above than there is to say "there is no cure for colitis other than surgery."  For the latter, maybe there is no cure NOW, and also, surgery doesn't sound like it is always quite a "cure,"  other than perhaps by definition.
Posted 3/14/2008 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
I totally agree that what we know does not equate with what actually occurs or is possible, my point was just to explain that cervical cancer comes from HPV, and that is a disease that only impacts women. It is entirely likely that HPV is effecting men in ways that have not yet been discovered.
Posted 3/14/2008 6:08 AM (GMT 0)
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/hpv-vph/hpv-vph-man_e.html

 Of course it affects men, with some serious consequences as well.

We're really just talking the sexually transmitted genital kind...right?

The treatments can also be the same, however...I have used Aldara for the wart on my finger that has been reborn a gazillion times.  I do wish the doc would cut it out already..but he won't.

q

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