What Causes Periungual Warts?
Periungual warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a virus which infects the cells of your body. It’s one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and it affects almost all humans over age 15 years old. According to CDC, HPV is estimated to cause approximately 70% of cervical cancers in women and 80% of genital warts in men worldwide. The infection usually occurs during sexual contact with someone infected with HPV.
The virus spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact or indirectly through unprotected vaginal, penile, and rectal penetration. Although the virus is not contagious from person to person, it can be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy. If you have been exposed to HPV while having sexual activity with another individual, then you may develop warts on your hands and feet after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
How Can I Prevent Periungual Warts?
There are several ways to prevent periungual warts. First, if you have been exposed to HPV while having sexual activity with another individual, then you will need to use condoms every time when having sexual relations with other individuals. Also, avoid touching your genitals and mouth with your hands and fingers. These areas are considered high risk areas for getting periungual warts.
What Are The Treatment Options For Periungual Warts?
There are several treatment options for periungual warts including over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs. Usually, these treatments take months to clear the warts. However, new treatments such as the use of compound 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) have been known to destroy warts in a matter of days. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), 5-FU works by blocking the formation of DNA and RNA, which are necessary for the growth of cells.
Do Periungual Warts Go Away On Their Own?
In most cases, periungual warts do not resolve on their own. However, they may develop into flat-top scars, which are small and barely noticeable.
Where Can I Find More Information About Periungual Warts?
There are several resources available on the internet to learn more about periungual warts. The following are some of the more reliable resources online:
Periungual Warts – KidsHealth from the Nemours Foundation
Periungual warts – Better Health Channel from the Victorian Government
HPV – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sources & references used in this article:
Imiquimod for plantar and periungual warts by JD Sparling, SR Checketts… – CUTIS-NEW …, 2001 – mdedge-files-live.s3.us-east-2 …
Successful treatment of periungual warts with topical cidofovir by L Padilla Espana, J Del Boz… – Dermatologic …, 2014 – Wiley Online Library
Warts of the nail unit: surgical and nonsurgical approaches by A Tosti, BM Piraccini – Dermatologic Surgery, 2001 – Wiley Online Library
Intralesional immunotherapy using tuberculin PPD in the treatment of palmoplantar and periungual warts by S Wananukul, S Chatproedprai… – Asian …, 2010 – pdfs.semanticscholar.org
Cantharidin treatment of digital and periungual warts by JH Epstein, WL Epstein – California medicine, 1960 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Efficacy of intralesional bleomycin in palmo-plantar and periungual warts by Y Choi, DH Kim, SY Jin, AY Lee, SH Lee – Annals of dermatology, 2013
Successful treatment of periungual warts with diluted bleomycin using translesional multipuncture technique: a pilot prospective study by P Soni, K Khandelwal, N Aara, BC Ghiya… – Journal of cutaneous …, 2011 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Treatment of warts with cantharidin by KM Alghamdi, H Khurram – Dermatologic surgery, 2011 – Wiley Online Library
