Ionic Contraviral Therapy- ICVT

Herpes And Dysplastic Diseases

Herpes simplex infections of the skin
Herpes simplex infection of the skin is responsible for considerable disease burden on mankind. Typically, herpes simplex type 1 (HSV1) will cause infection of the mouth or oral mucosa, whilst herpes simplex type 2 (HSV2) typically causes genital herpes.

Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is very common and its incidence is growing rapidly, with seroprevalance (the number of people who have antibodies in their blood )of herpes simplex type 2 infection growing from 16.7% of the US adult population in 1978, to 21.7% in 1991. (NAHNES study 1997), There are over 45 million Americans chronically infected and at least 100 million genital outbreaks annually.

In Scandinavia the seroprevalence of HSV 2 infection among pregnant women nearly doubled over the last two decades from 19% to 33%

Genital herpes is the most common ulcerative sexually transmitted disease in America, and its prevalence has been increasing continually over the last 20 years. The American Social Health Association (ASHA) has a free telephone advice service, and they report more calls regarding genital herpes than all other sexually transmitted infections combined. ASHA has estimated that there are in fact 1 million new cases of infection per year.

Cold Sores
According to the WHO the current seroprevalence of HSV 1 globally in adults is approx 70-80%, leading to at least 400 million cold sores annually.
The seroprevalence is currently increasing at 3% per year.

42% of sufferers of HSV1 (cold sores) will have an outbreak in a year (IHMF).
89% of sufferers of HSV 2 (genital herpes) will have an outbreak in a year (IHMF).

Consequently a significant market exists for treatments targeted at herpes diseases. In several in-house studies ICVT has demonstrated considerable efficacy when targeted at herpes simplex, including strains that are highly resistant to existing forms of therapy. Studies are on-going to examine formulations of ICVT as a topical treatment for herpes simplex infections of the skin and genitalia.

Dysplastic Disease
When a cell is infected by HPV, (depending upon the strain of virus), changes may occur in the cell that have the potential to lead to cancer. In most cases, cancerous changes are not immediate (or indeed certain) - they take months or years to develop. The cells may change from a normal cell into an intermediate cell which although not strictly cancerous, has the potential to become cancerous if left untreated. This type of change is called dysplasia, and is commonly associated with HPV infection of the genital tract. The site at which the dysplasia occurs will determine the site of where treatment is needed.

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)
CIN is a pre-cancerous condition of the uterine cervix. This starts with abnormal cellular development in the epithelium of the cervix and is diagnosed by the PAP smear test. Over 95% of CIN is caused by infection with HPV. More than 2.5 million women are diagnosed with low grade CIN and a further 200,000-300,000 are diagnosed with high grade dysplasia each year in the USA alone. Worldwide the incidence is much higher. (WHO figures)Current treatment of CIN is limited to local surgical techniques such as laser ablation, cryotherapy and cone biopsy. These do not address the underlying infectious cause.

Vulval Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VIN)
The HPV type 16 is involved in the development of vulval carcinoma in women. The precursor to this is the development of abnormal cells, which often cause symptoms of irritation or soreness. In the past the peak incidence of VIN affected women in their mid 50’s, whilst in the last decade, the peak age is now 38 years. The incidence has increased 300% in the last 10 years (Journ EA 2001).

Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia
HPV can also reside in the anus, which has similar epithelial cells to the cervix, and is a precursor to cancer of the anus. More than 60% of men without HIV and 90% of men with HIV who have sex with men, are infected with HPV in their anal canal. The only current treatment options are surgical as there is no effective pharmacological treatment available.

Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN)
VAIN comprises about 4% of intraepithelial neoplasias and occurs in between 0.9 and 6.8% of cases following hysterectomies -- with a higher incidence following surgery and radiation therapy for pre-malignant and malignant lesions of the cervix.

28% of VAIN cases have been reported to occur after hysterectomy for benign disease. Appropriate colposcopic assessment is necessary for diagnosis. The disease is highly associated with papilloma virus infection and may result in carcinoma of the vagina if untreated.

ICVT has the potential to be helpful in the treatment of early stages of VIN, AIN, and PIN, as it is anticipated that the HPV implicated as the cause of these lesions would be halted. Studies are being planned to examine these effects, by one of Henderson Morley’s partner companies.

Next: Recurrent Respiratory Papilloma