Comparison of purified protein derivative and vitamin D in the treatment of recalcitrant warts

Abstract

Background: Viral warts are caused by human papillomavirus. There are various treatment modalities which cause destruction of the warts. Not all of them are very effective on difficult-to-treat warts. For the treatment of difficult-to-treat warts, new and effective treatment includes intralesional immunotherapy. Objectives: The aim was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of intralesional Vitamin D and tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) as immunotherapy in difficult-to-treat warts. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients with difficult-to-treat viral warts were enrolled in this randomized controlled study. Group A patients were injected intralesionally with 2.5 TU of tuberculin PPD (0.1 ml) and Group B patients were injected with 0.1 ml of Vitamin D3 per lesion to a maximum of ten lesions. The clinical assessment was done by photographic measurements at baseline, before each treatment session, and after the completion of the treatment every 2 weeks for a total of four sessions. Unpaired t-test was used to compare both the treatment modalities. Results: In Group A, a total of 38 (76%) patients showed complete clearance and 12 (24%) showed partial response, while in Group B, a total of 42 (84%) patients showed complete clearance, while 8 (16%) showed partial response. There was no statistically significant difference between both the modalities. Conclusions: Intralesional Vitamin D3 injection and intralesional PPD may be a treatment option for difficult-to-treat warts that are unresponsive to conventional treatments. Both are equally effective with minimal side effects.