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

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 ± 3.88 before treatment to 1.48 ± 2.50 after the last treatment in the treatment group and from 12.47 ± 2.99 before treatment to 4.47 ± 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 ± 1.16) than in the control group (6.31 ± 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.