Recently, the topic of "HPV infection in hot springs" has attracted public attention, and doctors said: hot springs are generally not infected with HPV, but some people should not be soaked
If you soak in a hot spring bathhouse, will you be infected with HPV?
Changsha Evening News all-media reporter Fu Rongrong correspondent Wen Na Gong Chuqiao
In the middle of winter, hot springs have become a leisure way for many citizens to relax and unwind. Recently, the topic of "HPV infection in hot springs" has attracted public attention. Some netizens said that in addition to soaking in hot springs, swimming may also be infected, and some netizens said that they got gynecological diseases after soaking in hot springs. Is it true that soaking in hot springs and swimming can be infected with HPV and gynecological diseases? What problems will HPV infection cause, and how can I avoid them? Recently, Hu Hailing, deputy chief physician of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Center of the Hunan Provincial Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital, answered everyone's questions.
HPV infection in hot springs is a small probability event
"Some time ago, I always went to the hot springs with my boyfriend, and a few days after I came back, I found a small bump on my neck, so I went to the hospital and said that I was infected with HPV. Recently, netizen Dandan (pseudonym) posted on Xiaohongshu, describing that he found that "small reddish-brown pimples, very similar to closed pimples" grew on his neck after soaking in the hot springs, and he used many methods to make the pimples go away, and he went to the hospital for examination to find out that it was flat warts, caused by HPV infection.
Hu Hailing introduced that the full name of HPV is human papillomavirus, with many family members, more than 200 subtypes, and can cause squamous epithelial proliferation of human skin and mucosa after infection. According to the carcinogenic HPV virus, it can be divided into 14 high-risk types and low-risk types: high-risk HPV such as HPV16, 18, 33, etc., can cause cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer in women, anal cancer and penile cancer in men, etc., and low-risk HPV can cause common warts, genital warts (genital warts) and other benign lesions.
Hu Hailing said that the probability of infection is very small, because the source of HPV infection is patients and infected people, and it is mainly transmitted through the following ways:
Sexual transmission, which is the main mode of transmission, can cause infection by mucosal contact during heterosexual or same-sex sexual activity, mother-to-child transmission, which is commonly transmitted from mothers with HPV infection in the genital tract to newborns during childbirth, and mucoskin-mucosal contact, in addition to the cervix, HPV can also infect other parts of the body, such as the mouth, throat, skin and anus, etc., inducing corresponding lesions.
Generally speaking, HPV itself has strong resistance, but it has the characteristics of "cold resistance but not heat resistance", and deterioration will occur at 55 °C ~ 60 °C, while the hot spring temperature tolerated by the general human body is 40 °C ~ 45 °C, in this temperature range, HPV can survive. Therefore, if there is a virus in the hot spring water or swimming pool water, there is a real risk that the human body may come into contact with HPV and become infected if the skin and mucous membranes are damaged.
In addition, if you soak in substandard water for a long time, the pollutants or microorganisms in the water may enter the woman's vagina and destroy her acidic environment, which may cause gynecological diseases such as bacterial vaginosis and fungal vaginitis. Some hotel onsen provide public slippers and bath towels to create conditions for the spread of germs if they are not disinfected.
"Although there is a possibility of HPV infection in hot springs, it is a small probability event, so you don't need to panic too much. Hu Hailing said that a positive HPV test does not mean that you are infected with sexually transmitted diseases, nor does it mean that you will definitely get cervical cancer. The average woman has more than 80% chance of being infected with HPV in her lifetime after having sex. When the human body is infected with HPV, it initiates the autologous clearance mechanism, and the immune system clears the virus. Only long-term recurrent infections can lead to the risk of cervical cancer.
They all have "warts" in their names, but they are actually very different
In recent years, HPV and genital warts have become more well-known, and many netizens "talk about warts discoloration", thinking that as long as there are "warts", they are infected with HPV, which will cause cervical cancer, and some people stigmatize them as sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, warts are not necessarily caused by HPV infection, because the causes of warts vary depending on the type of warts, and they cannot be generalized. Condyloma mainly includes genital warts, flat warts, common warts and molluscum contagiosum.
Flat warts are caused by low-risk HPV-3 and 10, which form "small bumps" on the surface of the skin that protrude from the skin surface. Common warts are caused by low-risk HPV-1, 2, and 4 types and can occur anywhere on the body, but are more common on the hands, more often on the fingers and palms, and are common triggers due to hand trauma or prolonged immersion in water. In addition, there are some special types of common warts, such as periungual warts, subungual warts, filiform warts, and digital warts. However, flat warts and common warts are not sexually transmitted diseases, and the HPV subtypes that cause infection are not the same as genital warts, and the harm is not comparable.
Low-risk HPV-90, 6 infection is caused in 11% of genital warts, and high-risk HPV types such as HPV-31, 16, 18, and 52 have been shown in 56% of genital warts lesions. Genital warts are burr-shaped, and it's important to note that genital warts generally only grow near the genitals. Genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease, and the transmission route is not related to hot springs, and it has been clearly established that the mode of transmission is sexual transmission.
Molluscum contagiosum generally grows on children and is a contagious skin disease caused by molluscum contagiosum virus infection. Lesions appear as characteristic waxy papules or nodules with a depressed apex that extrudes molluscum cheeseformis.
If you want to soak in the hot springs with peace of mind, pay attention to these aspects
If you want to soak in a hot spring with peace of mind, Hu Hailing suggests that you should first choose a formal and hygienic hot spring place. In properly disinfected hot springs and swimming pools, the survival rate of HPV will be greatly reduced, and the concentration of HPV in large water bodies is very low, so the chance of HPV infection in hot springs and swimming is very small.
The use of personal items such as towels and slippers while bathing in hot springs and swimming, and the possibility of HPV infection increases if the genital tract comes into direct contact with the toilet, towel, bath towel and other items of an HPV carrier.
Rinse your whole body before and after bathing in a public pool, especially after bathing, and use a clean special bath towel to wipe your body to reduce the risk of infection.
Hot springs are good, but not for everyone. Hu Hailing reminded these groups of people not to soak in hot springs: women who are in the menstrual period, people who are allergic to hot springs, people with wounds, ulcers and serious infections on their skin, people who are drunk, after sex, and those who are too full or hungry. In addition, pregnant women are not suitable for hot springs, because the hot spring water temperature is high, there are more minerals in the water, and women's resistance is relatively low during pregnancy, in order to avoid adverse health effects on pregnant women and fetuses, hot springs should be avoided during pregnancy.
Elderly people with diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, emphysema, and anemia should not take a bath. Immersion in hot springs for a long time may cause discomfort such as sweating and dizziness, especially when the outdoor temperature is low and the hot spring water temperature is too high, the alternating stimulation of hot and cold can easily cause blood vessel dilation, resulting in discomfort.
Those with severe arteriosclerosis and long-term hypertension that cannot be effectively controlled should not soak in hot springs. In this kind of people, vascular endothelial function is reduced, blood vessel elasticity is reduced, and when soaking in hot springs, hot and cold stimulation alternately, blood vessels frequently contract and expand, which may lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.
People with allergies should be cautious when bathing in hot springs. Prolonged soaking in hot springs can lead to thinning of the lipids in the epidermis, causing dryness, scaling, and itching. (Changsha Evening News)