What are warts?

➢ Verrucae are proliferative lesions of squamous epithelial cells that are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). ➢ They are most common in children and adolescents, but may be encountered in any age group. ➢ HPV infection usually stems from direct contact with an infected individual or autoinoculation. ➢ Verrucae generally are self-limited, most often regressing spontaneously within 6 months to 2 years. ➢ While some members of the HPV family are associated with preneoplastic and invasive cancers of the anogenital region cutaneous warts are mainly caused by low-risk HPV subtypes. ➢ Because the growth of warts is normally halted by the immune response, immunodeficiency is associated with more numerous and larger verrucae