Effect of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy with Transfer Factor Capsules in the Treatment of Multiple Plantar Warts

Abstract

Background. Plantar warts are a common cutaneous disease of the sole of the foot caused by human papillomavirus. Photodynamic therapy has gained increasing attention in the treatment of plantar warts. Objective. To investigate the effect of photodynamic therapy combined with transfer factor capsules in the treatment of multiple plantar warts. Methods. Sixty-one patients with multiple plantar warts who visited our outpatient department from September 2017 to August 2019 were randomly divided into two groups. Twenty-three patients received photodynamic therapy (treatment group) and thirty-eight received cryotherapy (control group). Both groups also received immune modulator transfer factor capsules. Skin lesion score, numeric rating scale- (NRS-) 10 score, recurrence rate, adverse reactions, and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were analyzed in both groups. Results. The mean skin lesion score improved from $13.39\pm 3.88$ before treatment to $1.48\pm 2.50$ after the last treatment in the treatment group and from $12.47\pm 2.99$ before treatment to $4.47\pm 3.67$ after the last treatment in the control group. The success rate after 3 months of treatment was 86.96% in the treatment group and 39.47% in the control group. After 3 months of follow-up, the recurrence rate was significantly lower in the treatment group (20%) than in the control group (53.33%). The mean DLQI score at three months after treatment was significantly lower in the treatment group ( $3.61\pm 1.16$ ) than in the control group ( $6.31\pm 2.59$ ). Conclusion. Photodynamic therapy combined with immunomodulators significantly increased the cure rate and reduced the recurrence rate of multiple plantar warts compared with traditional cryotherapy combined with immunomodulators.