COMPARISON OF FORMIC ACID PUNCTURE TO INTRALESIONAL MMR VACCINE FOR TREATING COMMON WARTS

Abstract

Background: Warts are a common, uncomfortable ailment that has been treated with a variety of therapeutic approaches. There are many different treatment options available, but no single approach has been shown to be totally successful.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of treating common warts with an intralesional injection of the MMR vaccine vs an 85% formic acid puncture.

Methods: The 120 participants in the study were split into two groups of 60, each. Group I received the intralesional dose of the MMR vaccine, which is 0.3 ml per lesion, and Group II received an 85% formic acid puncture in each lesion, with a maximum of 10 warts managed in each case. Five visits were conducted every two weeks, with a three-month follow-up to evaluate for recurrence.

Results: In Group I, complete response, partial response, and no response were observed in 62.5% (n=), 8% (n=), and 4.1% (n=) of the subjects, respectively. In Group II, the corresponding numbers were 31.8% (n=), 63.6% (n=), and 4.5% (n=) of the subjects. These findings are supported by the study's findings. With p=0.02, the treatment response rate difference between the two groups was statistically significant. During follow-up, no recurrence was observed in any group.

Conclusions: This study shows that intralesional MMR vaccination immunotherapy is a straightforward, safe, economical, and successful way to treat warts. It also shows statistically significant improvements in cure rates when compared to formic acid therapy.