A comparative evaluation of therapeutic response in warts to intralesional vitamin D3 versus intralesional measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine

The infection of keratinocytes by human papilloma virus (HPV) causes warts. These are of different types based on morphological and anatomical grounds. This has led to the development of strategies involved in the treatment of warts by induction of delayed hypersensitivity reactions. The current study aims to compare the therapeutic response and side effect profile of intralesional vitamin D3 and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). The aim of this study is to study the therapeutic response of two intralesional immunotherapies in warts and compare their efficacies and side effects. A single-blind randomized control trial was conducted over 12 months on 100 patients using the purposive sampling technique. Randomly, half of the participants received one of the two immunotherapies. The clinical response was evaluated on the basis of decrease in wart size, wart number, wart distribution, and photographic comparison. The mean size of the largest wart in the vitamin D3 group was found to be 0.70 cm, and in the MMR group, it was 0.79 cm in breadth. The mean onset of first response was 3.55 weeks in the vitamin D3 group and 3.85 weeks in the MMR group. Complete response was seen in 54% and 62% of study participants in the vitamin D3 and MMR groups respectively. The study recommends that both intralesional vitamin D3 and MMR are efficacious in treating cutaneous warts, with MMR agents being moderately better compared to vitamin D3 in terms of warts clearance and side effects profile.