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- $Unique_ID{BRK02136}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Fighting Persistent Warts}
- $Subject{wart warts removal immune system trichloroacetic acid electrocautery
- freezing podophyllin interferon human papillomavirus HPV viral infection}
- $Volume{}
- $Log{}
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- Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Fighting Persistent Warts
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- QUESTION: I am plagued by warts that grow from my index and middle fingers.
- I have been treated by two "experts", one who used an acid, and the other who
- burned them off. Each time they returned after a few weeks. Isn't there a
- sure fire way to get rid of them? A fellow at work tells me he gets warts
- too, but they go away by themselves. Can you explain that as well? Thanks
- for all the good information in your column.
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-
- ANSWER: There are many acceptable techniques available to remove those ugly
- warts. They include "acid" (trichloroacetic acid), "burning"
- (electrocautery), as well as freezing, podophyllin, and even interferon.
- Though all these methods are successful in removing the warts, they return
- again in a large percentage of people, estimated to range between 10-65
- percent. Warts may be the result of an infection by a human papillomavirus
- (HPV) and can thus be contagious. One theory is that the warts develop as a
- result of the viral infection, which remains hidden in the body, and can cause
- a new growth of warts after one batch is removed.
- Despite this, it seems as though some individuals have the ability to rid
- themselves of the warts with no special treatment. This may be the result of
- some special ability of their immune system to fight the infection, but as yet
- researchers have been unable to discover the exact mechanism for this action.
- Until we have better explanations, it is best to keep removing the warts as
- they occur, by one method or another. Sorry, I have no "sure fire" method to
- offer.
-
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-