Gai-Hua Wang,1,* Yang-Bin Wang,2,3,* Yue-Ai Cheng,1 Hong-Duo Chen,2,3 Xing-Hua Gao,2,3 Rui-Qun Qi2,3 

1Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan City Centre Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Immunodermatology, Ministry of Education and NHC; National Joint Engineering Research Center for Theranostics of Immunological Skin Diseases, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Rui-Qun Qi, Department of Dermatology, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China, Email xiaoqiliumin@163.com Yue-Ai Cheng, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan City Centre Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China, Email 172915043@qq.com

Abstract: Viral warts, a common dermatological condition caused by human papillomavirus infection (HPV) infection, present a particular challenge for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients due to their compromised immunity, which increases the susceptibility to HPV infection and complicates treatment efforts. Imiquimod, an immunomodulatory agent, has demonstrated efficacy in managing warts. Furthermore, local hyperthermia, a non-invasive therapeutic modality, has demonstrated significant potential in the management of warts. We report the case of a SLE patient developed recalcitrant and extensive viral warts on limbs. We applied hyperthermia at 45 °C on a target lesion for 1 hour / day with imiquimod cream 3 times/week. All the lesions cleared in 8 months and there was no sign of recurrence.

Keywords: human papillomavirus, hyperthermia, systemic lupus erythematosus, immunity