Plantar verrucae in patients with human immunodeficiency virus - Clinical presentation and treatment response

Several previous studies have yielded data showing that plantar and other c utaneous verrucae follow a more aggressive course in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than in uninfected individuals. A pilot study was undertaken to identify trends in a sample population that would support this characterization of plantar verrucae in HIV+ patients and to d etermine whether there are differences in treatment response between HIV+ a nd HIV- patients. The results show that the HIV+ patients in the study pres ented with a significantly greater number and total area of lesions than di d the HIV- patients, Furthermore, the HIV+ patients experienced a greater f requency of recurrence of their lesions following treatment with surgical c urettage. These findings should provide the foundation for other extensive, multicenter studies to further characterize the treatment response of thes e lesions in HIV+ patients and to develop effective guidelines for their ma nagement.