Warts and Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

The human papilloma virus is implicated in causing several diseases, ranging from the common wart to malignancy. We describe a high prevalence of cutaneous warts in lupus erythematosus. The presence of warts did not correlate with the taking of immunosuppressive drugs. This observation suggests that there is a primary immunological defect among patients with lupus erythematosus. We found this high rate among patients with discoid as well as systemic lupus erythematosus. We found no correlation between the prevalence of cutaneous warts and cervical dysplasia, or malignancy. Discoid lupus erythematosus is often considered to be a different disease from systemic lupus erythematosus, running a more benign course. The high prevalence of cutaneous warts in both conditions highlights yet another similarity between these two diseases.