Nongenital warts: recommended management in general practice

Abstract

Nongenital warts are benign skin lesions caused by HPV infection and can be easily treated in primary care. Our Drug review presents the different clinical types and discusses the properties and efficacy of the available treatment options, followed by sources of further information. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Interface Ltd

Genome-wide identification of methylated CpG sites in nongenital cutaneous warts

“…Unlike its high-risk counterpart, low-risk HPV infection has not been the subject of epigenetic analysis in the context of non-genital cutaneous warts, the latter of which constitutes an extremely common skin disease that is benign and self-limiting in the majority of cases [19]. The most prevalent type of non-genital cutaneous wart is the common wart, which usually manifests on the hands and feet as a firm, hyperkeratotic papule with an irregular surface [20]. The extensive transformation that an HPV-infected keratinocyte undergoes to form a wart suggests that a similar change in methylation patterns must occur.…”

Hyfrecation for recalcitrant nongenital warts

“…Clearance rate with electrosurgery is 90% versus 16.7% with salicylic acid, and overall tolerance of treatment is considered very satisfactory. Nine other publications are opinion/review articles that mentioned electrodessication/electrosurgery as one of the destructive methods of treatment for common warts,[ 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ] without any form of systematic review of evidence. The other three publications are case reports,[ 21 22 23 ] two of which perhaps mark the earliest description of using electrofulguration[ 21 ] and electrocautery[ 22 ] for treating common wart.…”