Other treatment for warts

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Other treatment for warts

Immunotherapy and bleomycin are only used if all other treatment fails. Immunotherapy triggers your immune system to destroy the virus causing the wart. Because some of the substances used for immunotherapy are expensive, dangerous, or require specialized handling, such treatment is considered only after other methods have failed.

Immunotherapy options include contact sensitizers, imiquimod, and interferon.

The following table compares these treatments for warts.

**Treatments for warts**
Type of treatment	Advantages	Disadvantages
Contact sensitizers (immunotherapy)	Contact sensitizers attack the virus that causes the wart. One review of studies reports that the sensitizer DNCB removed warts in 80% of the people using it, compared to 38% in people using a placebo.¹	Contact sensitizers have potential for causing severe allergic reaction. They are not widely used because of cost and risks to health professionals. They are not recommended for pregnant women.
imiquimod (immunotherapy)	Imiquimod is applied at home. It is considered effective treatment for genital warts and is being used more in other types of warts. It attacks the virus that causes the wart.	There is little information on its effectiveness for nongenital warts. It can cause relatively mild skin irritation, burning, and blistering. It is expensive.
Interferon injection (immunotherapy)	Interferon attacks the virus that causes the wart.	Interferon is usually injected into the wart. It is considered experimental and is not widely available.
Bleomycin injection	Bleomycin injection has cure rates that vary between 16% and 94%.²	There is no consistent evidence of bleomycin's effectiveness.² It causes pain during and after injection into a wart. It can cause scarring, nail damage, and skin color changes. It is expensive. It is toxic and not recommended for children and pregnant women.

Citations

Bigby M, et al. (2005). Warts. Clinical Evidence (14): 2091–2103.

Gibbs S, et al. (2006). Local treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1). Oxford: Update Software.

Author	Sabra L. Katz-Wise
Author	Ralph Poore
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology
Last Updated	October 20, 2006

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: October 20, 2006

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