How are warts diagnosed?

    Last Updated: October 13, 2024

    Warts are diagnosed by health care providers during a clinical exam; diagnosis is based on their visual appearance.[1] If there is any doubt about the diagnosis, a skin biopsy may be collected and analyzed to rule out other types of skin growths, such as cancer.[1] Although PCR genotyping techniques can readily determine the specific HPV type(s) responsible for the infection, the specific infecting HPV strain does not affect the recommended treatment.[2][3]

    References

    1. ^Al Aboud AM, Nigam PKWartStatPearls.(2022-08)
    2. ^Lipke MMAn armamentarium of wart treatments.Clin Med Res.(2006-Dec)
    3. ^Sterling JC, Handfield-Jones S, Hudson PM,Guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts.Br J Dermatol.(2001-Jan)