Combined therapy of local recombinant human interferon a1b injection and acupuncture on verruca vulgaris: a retrospective study

Verruca vulgaris is always stubborn to treat. We applied a new combined therapy of local recombinant human interferon alpha 1b (rhIFN alpha 1b) injection plus acupuncture on verruca vulgaris recently to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combined therapy. The retrospective study was conducted in The First Hospital of China Medical University from 2018 to 2020. Patients with verruca vulgaris were included. Combined therapy with local rhIFN alpha 1b injection plus acupuncture was set as treatment group, rhIFN alpha 1b injection and carbon dioxide (CO2) laser were set as control groups. A total of 2415 patients were included in the study. The cure rates were 81.85%, 85.93%, and 100% in combined group, rhIFN alpha 1b group, and CO2 laser group, separately. All lesions cured in combined group were located on hands or feet, while majority of lesions cured in other groups were located on other sites. For patients with medium/big single lesion or 6-9 lesions, less treatment times were needed in combined group than rhIFN alpha 1b group. For patients with small single, two to five or more than ten lesions, the treatment times of combined group and rhIFN alpha 1b group were comparable. All patients complained of pain in varying degrees when local injection or laser irradiation. Compared with CO2 laser group, more fever, less swelling or scar was reported in combined group. In conclusion, combined therapy of local rhIFN alpha 1b plus acupuncture was beneficial for verruca vulgaris with limited adverse effects. The therapy was more acceptable by younger female patients with verruca vulgaris.

Automated summary

A combined therapy of local rhIFN alpha 1b injection plus acupuncture was evaluated for the treatment of verruca vulgaris. The study found that the cure rates in the combined therapy group were 81.85%, while in the control groups they were 85.93% and 100% respectively. The local injection of interferon showed efficacy and safety in treating verruca vulgaris.