Viral warts are one of the most common diseases of the skin. Methods of treatment are many, but effective treatment of the multiple and stubborn forms of this disease remains to be established. Many of these methods are painful—some even dangerous.
In this regard, a study was conducted by Su Jingze at the department of integrated traditional and western medicine, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, to find out a simple and safe cure, which would not cause infection or scar formation, and is suited to all the patients suffering from this disease. Acupuncture was used in 119 cases of viral warts from September 1978 to January 1983.
Clinical Data and Results
It is generally believed that in 4 per cent of all cases, warts end in spontaneous cure. All 119 cases selected for treatment and observation in the present report had disease histories of more than two months. Observation was completed in 90 cases, of whom 87 were cured (59 of them male and 28 female), and aged between seven and 67 years. The maximum number of warts in one single case was 537. The biggest wart measured 1.5x2x0.7 cm³ and the smallest one 1 mm³.
The location of the growths in order of their frequency of occurrence was: the leg, hand, foot and sole. Occasional ones occurred over the scalp, neck, lips, and thigh. Previous treatment included topical application of caustics of 5-FU ointment in seven cases, cryocautery in eight cases, excision in two cases, moxibustion in two cases and miscellaneous measures such as electrocautery, curettage, injection of drugs, under the base of the warts and oral administration of Chinese medicinal preparations, which were either of no avail or unable to prevent the warts from recurring in situ.
Cases with complete disappearance of warts were considered cured. In cases where one or several warts persisted for over three months, treatment was considered ineffective. Of the 90 cases treated, 87 were cured, including 74 cases of common warts, eight cases of plantar warts and five cases of flat warts. The three uncured patients were treated later by other methods.
The clinical observation revealed that in majority of the cured patients, warts disappeared by the 20th day after treatment. Flat warts disappeared almost quickly, and could be cured in about
10 days. A few patients, who stopped taking treatments after one or two sessions,
were also cured of the disease, but after two months. Some other patients added acupuncture sessions in addition to their already fixed appointments, and it was found that such an increase in the frequency and number of sessions helped speed up the cure to a certain extent.
None of the case in the present series was complicated by infection during treatment, nor was there any other complications in the course of recovery. Fifty-six cases were followed up for over two years, and although new warts did occur in four cases, no recurrence of a wart at the original site was observed.
The author is Head of Acupuncture at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi