Comprehensive treatment potential for plantar warts in pediatric patients: a case study
DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2025-8-1-13
E.G. Golovacheva1,2, O.I. Afanasyeva1, E.S. Goncharova1,2, A.G. Bykovskaya2, V.A. Apryatina3
1Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
2St. Petersburg Outpatient Clinic № 106, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
3St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
The etiology of plantar warts in both children and adults is primarily linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Patients frequently report issues such as discomfort, trauma to the affected areas, and recurrent lesions following wart removal. Current treatment approaches emphasize the importance of combining physical destruction of warts with the use of non-specific antiviral and immunomodulatory therapies. We present the case of a 13-year-old male patient diagnosed with multiple plantar warts that were non-responsive to topical sodium hydroxide therapy. Additionally, new lesions continued to develop despite prior immunotherapy interventions. The patient was prescribed an oral combination therapy containing sodium alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan (0.5 mg), administered three times daily in two 4-day courses with a 10-day interval between courses. Concurrently, a topical cream containing sodium alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan (0.05%) was applied to the affected skin areas 2–3 times daily for two weeks. By the end of the two-week topical treatment, significant healing within the deeper layers of the epidermis was observed. Complete resolution of the warts occurred within four weeks, with no recurrence observed during a three-month follow-up period. This case highlights that a combination therapy approach — oral administration of an immunomodulatory preparation containing alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan, ascorbic acid, and bendazole, alongside daily topical application of 0.05% alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan cream — proved to be effective and well-tolerated for treating multiple plantar warts in a pediatric patient. The prescribed regimen not only facilitated complete lesion resolution but also successfully prevented recurrences, markedly improving the patient's quality of life.
Keywords: sodium alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan, viral plantar warts, immunotherapy, children, case study.
For citation: Golovacheva E.G., Afanasyeva O.I., Goncharova E.S., Bykovskaya A.G., Apryatina V.A. Comprehensive treatment potential for plantar warts in pediatric patients: a case study. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2025;8(1):86–90 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2025-8-1-13
About the authors:
Ekaterina G. Golovacheva — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Leading Researcher of the Department of Respiratory Viral Infections in Pediatric Patients, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza; 15/17, Professor Popov str., St. Petersburg, 197376, Russian Federation; allergologist-immunologist, St. Petersburg Outpatient Clinic No. 106; 13, Richard Sorge str., St. Petersburg, 198328, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-1934-7288
Olga I. Afanasyeva — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Head of the Department of Respiratory Viral Infections in Pediatric Patients, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza; 15/17, Professor Popov str., St. Petersburg, 197376, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-1229-171X
Elena S. Goncharova — C. Sc. (Med.), Senior Researcher at the Department of Respiratory Viral Infections in Pediatric Patients, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza; 15/17, Professor Popov str., St. Petersburg, 197376, Russian Federation; pediatrician, St. Petersburg Outpatient Clinic № 106; 13, Richard Sorge str., St. Petersburg, 198328, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-1615-9919
Anna G. Bykovskaya — Head of the St. Petersburg Outpatient Clinic № 106; 13, Richard Sorge str., St. Petersburg, 198328, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0003-0482-953X
Vera A. Apryatina — C. Sc. (Med.), Senior Researcher of Neurobiology and Molecular Pharmacology Laboratory, Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University; 7/9, Universitetskaya emb., St. Petersburg, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-9819-6835
Contact information: Ekaterina G. Golovacheva, e-mail: okdixi@mail.ru
Financial Disclosure: the work was supported by St. Petersburg State University, project code No. 117033714.
There is no conflict of interest.
Received 29.11.2024.
Revised 24.12.2024.
Accepted 16.01.2025.
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