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

Abstract

Background: Warts are a common, uncomfortable ailment that have been treated with a variety of treatment 
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 vaccination vs an 85% formic acid puncture. 
Methods: The 120 participants in the study were split into two groups of 60, with Group I receiving the intralesional 
dose of the MMR vaccine (0.3% ml per lesion) and Group II receiving an 85% formic acid puncture in each lesion, 
with a maximum of 10 warts managed in each case. To check for recurrence, five visits were conducted every two 
weeks, followed by a three-month follow-up. 
Results: The study's findings demonstrated that, in Group I, complete, partial, and no responses were observed in 
62.5% (n=), 8% (n=), and 4.1% (n=) of the subjects, respectively. In Group II, on the other hand, complete, partial, 
and no responses were observed in 31.8% (n=), 63.6% (n=), and 4.5% (n=) of the subjects, respectively. 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 treatment.