title: Response of warts in epidermodysplasia verruciformis to treatment with systemic and intralesional alpha interferon.
abstract: The susceptibility of human papillomavirus infection to polyclonal human leukocyte interferon (IFN-alpha) has been evaluated in patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV), a disease with extensive chronic papillomavirus-induced warts. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with intralesional IFN-alpha, four of five IFN-alpha-treated warts regressed; none of the placebo-treated warts responded (p = 0.024). Three patients with EV were treated with systemic IFN-alpha for 4 weeks in an open study, achieving partial regression of warts in all three. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, warts in two children with EV regressed with systemic IFN-alpha while two who received placebo showed no improvement. The lesions recurred following cessation of therapy. At the completion of therapy with IFN-alpha, histologic normalization was accompanied by a 95% decrease in the number of viral antigen-containing cells in the warts (p less than 0.001). We conclude that warts in EV respond to systemic and intralesional IFN-alpha.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D014860:Warts / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I