Guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts
J.C. Sterling,
S. Handfield-Jones,
P.M. Hudson,
J.C. Sterling
Department of Dermatology, Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Cambridge, U.K.
Search for more papers by this authorS. Handfield-Jones
West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, U.K.
Search for more papers by this authorJ.C. Sterling,
S. Handfield-Jones,
P.M. Hudson,
J.C. Sterling
Department of Dermatology, Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Cambridge, U.K.
Search for more papers by this authorS. Handfield-Jones
West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, U.K.
Search for more papers by this author Dr Jane C. Sterling, Department of Dermatology, Box 46, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ, U.K.E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
These guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts have been prepared for dermatologists on behalf of the British Association of Dermatologists. They present evidence-based guidance for treatment, with identification of the strength of evidence available at the time of preparation of the guidelines, and a brief overview of epidemiological aspects, diagnosis and investigation.
References
- 1 Williams HC, Potter A & Strachan D. The descriptive epidemiology of warts in British schoolchildren. Br J Dermatol 1993; 128: 504 – 11.
- 2 Van der Werf E & Lent T. Een onderzoek naar het vóókomen en het verloop van wratten bij schoolkindren. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 1959; 103: 1204 – 8.
- 3 Larsson PA & Lidén S. Prevalence of skin diseases among adolescents 12–16 years of age. Acta Dermatovener 1980; 60: 415 – 23.
- 4 East Anglian Branch of the School Medical Officers of Health. The incidence of warts and plantar warts amongst schoolchildren in East Anglia. Med Officer 1955; 94: 55 – 9.
- 5 Rea JN, Newhouse ML & Halil T. Skin disease in Lambeth: a community study of prevalence and use of medical care. Br J Prev Soc Med 1976; 30: 107 – 14.
- 6 Barr A & Coles RB. Warts on the hands. A statistical survey. Trans St John’s Hosp Derm Soc 1969; 55: 69 – 73.
- 7 Shepherd PM. The National Child Development Study: An introduction to the Origins of the Study and the Methods of Data Collection London: NCDS User Support Group, City University, 1985.
- 8 Kaintz JT, Kozel G, Haidvogl M & Smolle J. Homoeopathic versus placebo therapy of children with warts on the hands: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Dermatology 1996; 193: 318 – 20.
- 9 Yilmaz E, Alpsoy E & Basaran E. Cimetidine therapy for warts: a placebo-controlled, double-blind study. J Am Acad Dermatol 1995; 34: 1005 – 7.
- 10 Massing AM & Epstein WL. Natural history of warts. Arch Dermatol 1963; 87: 306 – 10.
- 11 Williams HC, Pottier A & Strachan D. Are viral warts seen more commonly in children with eczema? Arch Dermatol 1993; 129: 717 – 21.
- 12 Johnson LW. Communal showers and the risk of plantar warts. J Fam Pract 1995; 40: 136 – 8.
- 13 Rudlinger R, Smith IW & Bunney MH et al. Human papilloma virus infections in a group of renal transplant recipients. Br J Dermatol 1986; 115: 681 – 92.
- 14 Bunney MH, Nolan M & Williams D. An assessment of methods of treating viral warts by comparative treatment trials based on a standard design. Br J Dermatol 1976; 94: 667 – 9.
- 15 Larsen PØ & Laurberg G. Cryotherapy of viral warts. J Derm Treatment 1996; 7: 29 – 31.
- 16 Berth-Jones J & Hutchinson PE. Modern treatment of warts: cure rates at 3 and 6 months. Br J Dermatol 1992; 127: 262 – 5.
- 17 Anonymous. Tackling warts on the hands and feet. Drug Ther Bull 1998; 36: 22 – 4.
- 18
Veien NK,
Madsen SM &
Avrach W et al.
The treatment of plantar warts with a keratolytic agent and occlusion.
J Dermatol Treat
1991; 2: 59
–
61.
10.3109/09546639109086776 Google Scholar
- 19 Gaspar ZS & Dawber RP. An organic refrigerant for cryosurgery: fact or fiction? Aust J Dermatol 1997; 38: 71 – 2.
- 20 Berth-Jones J & Bourke J, Eglitis et al. Value of a second freeze–thaw cycle in cryotherapy of common warts. Br J Dermatol 1994; 131: 883 – 6.
- 21 Bourke J, Berth-Jones J & Hutchinson PE. Cryotherapy of common viral warts at intervals of 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Br J Dermatol 1995; 132: 433 – 6.
- 22 Vickers CFH. Treatment of plantar warts in children. Br Med J 1961; ii: 743 – 5.
- 23 Pringle WM & Helms DC. Treatment of plantar warts by blunt dissection. Arch Dermatol 1973; 8: 79 – 82.
- 24 Yazar S & Basaran E. Efficacy of silver nitrate pencils in the treatment of common warts. J Dermatol 1994; 21: 329 – 33.
- 25 Street ML & Rœnigk RK. Recalcitrant periungual verrucae: the role of carbon dioxide laser vaporization. J Am Acad Dermatol 1990; 23: 115 – 20.
- 26 Sloan K, Haberman H & Lynde CW. Carbon dioxide laser treatment of resistant verrucae vulgaris: retrospective analysis. J Cutan Med Surg 1998; 2: 142 – 5.
- 27
Jain A &
Storwick GS.
Effectiveness of the 585 nm flashlamp-pulsed dye laser (PTDL) for treatment of plantar verrucae.
Lasers Surg Med
1997; 21: 500
–
5.DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9101(1997)21:5<500::aid-lsm13>3.0.co;2-c
10.1002/(sici)1096-9101(1997)21:5<500::aid-lsm13>3.0.co;2-c CAS PubMed Web of Science® Google Scholar
- 28 Kenton-Smith J & Tan ST. Pulsed dye laser therapy for viral warts. Br J Plastic Surg 1999; 52: 554 – 8.
- 29 Ross BS, Levine VJ & Nehal K et al. Pulsed dye laser treatment of warts: an update. Derm Surg 1999; 25: 377 – 80.
- 30 Stender I-M, Na R & Fogh H et al. Photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolaevulinic acid or placebo for recalcitrant foot and hand warts: randomised double-blind trial. Lancet 2000; 355: 963 – 6.DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)90013-8
- 31 Anderson I & Shirreffs E. The treatment of plantar warts. Br J Dermatol 1963; 75: 29 – 32.
- 32 Hirose R, Hori M & Shukuwa T et al. Topical treatment of resistant warts with glutaraldehyde. J Dermatol 1994; 21: 248 – 53.
- 33 Prigent F, Iborra C & Meslay C. Glutaraldehyde-induced cutaneous necrosis after topical treatment of a wart. Ann Dermatol Venereol 1996; 123: 644 – 6.
- 34 Duthie DA & McCallum D. Treatment of plantar warts with elastoplast and podophyllin. Br Med J 1951; 2: 216 – 18.
- 35 James MP, Collier PM & Aherna W. Histologic, pharmacologic and immunocytochemical effects of injection of bleomycin into viral warts. J Am Acad Dermatol 1993; 28: 933 – 7.
- 36 Hayes ME & O’Keefe EJ. Reduced dose of bleomycin in the treatment of recalcitrant warts. J Am Acad Dermatol 1986; 15: 1002 – 6.
- 37 Munn SE, Higgins E, Marshall M & Clement M. A new method of intralesional bleomycin therapy in the treatment of recalcitrant warts. Br J Dermatol 1996; 135: 969 – 71.
- 38 Kubeyinje EP. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of 0.05% tretinoin cream in the treatment of plane warts in Arab children. J Dermatol Treat 1996; 7: 21 – 2.
- 39 Boyle J, Dick DC & MacKie RM. Treatment of extensive virus warts with etretinate (Tigason) in a patient with sarcoidosis. Clin Exp Dermatol 1983; 8: 33 – 6.
- 40 Gross C, Pfister H & Hagedorn M et al. Effect of oral aromatic retinoid (Ro 10-9359) on human papilloma virus-2-induced common warts. Dermatologica 1983; 166: 48 – 53.
- 41 Gelmetti C, Cerri D & Schiuma AA et al. Treatment of extensive warts with etretinate; a clinical trial in 20 children. Pediatr Dermatol 1987; 4: 254 – 8.
- 42 Shah KC, Patel RM & Umrigar DD. Dinitrochlorobenzene treatment of verrucae plana. J Dermatol 1991; 18: 639 – 42.
- 43 Iijima S & Otsuka F. Contact immunotherapy with squarid acid dibutylester for warts. Dermatology 1993; 187: 115 – 8.
- 44 Rampen FH & Steijlen PM. Diphencyprone in the managment of refractory palmoplantar and periungual warts: an open study. Dermatology 1996; 193: 236 – 8.
- 45 Buckley DA, Keane FM & Munn SE et al. Recalcitrant viral warts treated by diphencyprone immunotherapy. Br J Dermatol 1999; 141: 292 – 6.DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1999.02978.x
- 46 Bett WR. ‘Wart, I bid thee begone. Practitioner 1951; 166: 77 – 80.
- 47 Spannos NP, Williams V & Gwynn MI. Psychosom Med 1990; 52: 109 – 14.
- 48 Stern P & Levine N. Controlled localized heat therapy in cutaneous warts. Arch Dermatol 1992; 128: 945 – 8.
- 49 Gibson JR, Harvey SG & Kemmett D et al.Treatment of common and plantar warts with human lymphoblastoid interferon-α– pilot studies with intralesional, intramuscular and dermojet injections. Br J Dermatol 1986; 115: 76 – 9.
- 50 Hengge UR, Esser S, Schultewolter T, Behrendt C, Meyer T, Stockfleth E & Goos M. Self-administered topical 5% imiquimod for the treatmetn of common warts and molluscum contagiousum. Br J Dermatol 2000; 143: 1026-31.
- 51 Hengge UR & Arndt R. Topical treatment of warts and mollusca with imiquimod. Ann Int Med 2000; 132: 95.
