Cutaneous warts in patients with lupus erythematosus

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of cutaneous warts (CW) in patients with lupus erythematosus (LE) and evaluate the effect of immunosuppressants on the appearance of CW. Fifty-eight patients with LE, 74 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 105 healthy individuals were interviewed and examined for the presence of CW. All were questioned to find out whether their CW developed before or after onset of the disease or during treatment. Cutaneous warts occurred considerably more often in patients with LE than in healthy control and RA patients (P < 0.003 and P < 0.04, respectively). The presence of CW did not correlate with the taking of immunosuppressive drugs. The findings suggest that the high prevalence of CW in patients with LE is probably due to defects in some immune mechanisms, independently of immunosuppressive drugs.