Plantar Warts Glossary of Terms
The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Plantar Warts article.
5-fluorouracil: An anticancer drug, See: Fluorouracil. Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some examples of abscesses:
Acquired: Anything that is not present at birth but develops some time later. In medicine, the word "acquired" implies "new" or "added." An acquired condition is "new" in the sense that it is not genetic (inherited) and "added" in the sense that was not present at birth. Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness. A local anesthetic causes loss of feeling in a part of the body. A general anesthetic puts the person to sleep. Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the farthest reaches of the body. Since blood in arteries is usually full of oxygen, the hemoglobin in the red blood cells is oxygenated. The resultant form of hemoglobin (oxyhemoglobin) is what makes arterial blood look bright red. Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. There are many causes of back pain. Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a thrombus. Boil: A skin abscess, a collection of pus localized deep in the skin. A boil usually starts as a reddened, tender area and in time becomes firm and hard. Eventually, the center of the abscess softens and becomes filled with white blood cells that the body sends to fight the infection. This collection of white cells is the pus. Callus: 1. A localized firm thickening of the upper layer of skin as a result of repetitive friction. A callus on the skin of the foot has become thick and hard from rubbing (as a result of repetitive friction). Calluses of the feet may lead to other problems such as serious infections. Shoes that fit well can keep calluses from forming on the feet. Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize (spread). Capillaries: Capillaries are the smallest of blood vessels. They serve to distribute oxygenated blood from arteries to the tissues of the body and to feed deoxygenated blood from the tissues back into the veins. The capillaries are thus a central component in the circulatory system, essentially between the arteries and the veins. When pink areas of skin are compressed, this causes blanching because blood is pressed out of the capillaries. The blood is the fluid in the body that contains, among other elements, the red blood cells (erythrocytes) that carry the oxygen and give the blood its red color. Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck including the neck on which the head is perched and the neck of the uterus. The word "cervix" in Latin means "neck". That is why cervical vertebrae and cervical cancer involve quite disparate parts of the anatomy joined only by the meaning of the word "cervix". Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically kills microbes or tumor cells. The term chemotherapy was coined in this regard by Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915). Circulation: The movement of fluid in a regular or circuitous course. Although the noun "circulation" does not necessarily refer to the circulation of the blood, for all practical purposes today it does. Heart failure is an example of a problem with the circulation. Corns: Small calloused areas of skin caused by local pressure irritating tissue over a bony prominence. Corns most commonly occur over a toe where they form what is referred to as a hard corn. Between the toes, pressure can form a soft corn of macerated skin which often yellows. Cryotherapy: Literally, "cold therapy." Cryotherapy, sometimes referred to as cryosurgery, is a procedure used to destroy tissue of both benign and malignant lesions by the freezing and re-thawing process. Liquid nitrogen is the most commonly used freezing source for cryotherapy. Examples of the uses of cryotherapy in medicine are the treatment (removal) of various types of skin lesions , the treatment of dysplastic (precancerous) tissue of the uterine cervix, and the treatment of some prostate cancers. Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. Cures are easy to claim and, all too often, difficult to confirm. Curettage: The removal of growths or other material from the wall of a cavity or other surface, as with a curet. A curet, or curette, is a spoon-shaped instrument with a sharp edge. The word "curette" comes from French and means a scraper. The verb "curer" means to scrape or clean. Curette: Spoon shaped instrument that has a sharp edge. The word curette comes from the French and means "scraper." Also spelled curet. Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and dry is all that is required to care for most wounds. Putting alcohol hydrogen peroxide, and iodine into a wound can delay healing and should be avoided. Seek medical care early if you think that you might need stitches. Any delay can increase the rate of wound infection. Any puncture wound through tennis shoes has a high risk of infection and should be seen by your healthcare professional. Any redness, swelling, increased pain, or pus draining from the wound may indicate an infection that requires professional care. Dermatologist: A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin problems. Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus share the name "diabetes" because they are both conditions characterized by excessive urination (polyuria). Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A conclusion or decision reached by diagnosis. The diagnosis is rabies. 3 The identification of any problem. The diagnosis was a plugged IV. Duct: A passage or a tube with well-defined walls suitable for the conveyance of air or liquids, as the bile duct and the pancreatic duct. Excision: 1. Surgical removal, as in the excision of a tumor. 2. The removal as if by surgery, as in base excision repair. Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Foot pain: Foot pain is the sensation of discomfort in the foot arising from disorders or injury to any of the structures in the foot including bones, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, or connective tissue. There are numerous and varied causes for foot pain, since the foot is an extremely complex anatomic structure made up of 26 bones and 33 joints along with 19 muscles and 107 ligaments. Genital: Pertaining to the external and internal organs of reproduction. (Not to be confused with genetic.) HPV: See: Human papillomavirus. Human papilloma virus: See: Human papillomavirus. 
Human papillomavirus: HPV. A family of over 100 viruses including those which cause warts and are transmitted by contact. Some types of HPV are associated with tumors of the genital tract including, notably, cancer of the cervix. Immune: Protected against infection. The Latin immunis means free, exempt. Immune response: Any reaction by the immune system. Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing us from everything foreign to us, and for protecting us against infections and foreign substances. The immune system works to seek and kill invaders. Immunotherapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune (defense) system to fight infection and disease. Biological therapy is thus any form of treatment that uses the body's natural abilities that constitute the immune system to fight infection and disease or to protect the body from some of the side effects of treatment. Incubation period: In medicine, the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appear. For example, the incubation period of chickenpox is 14-16 days. Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular condition or circumstance. For example, certain medications are indicated for the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy while others are contraindicated. Infection: The growth of a parasitic organism within the body. (A parasitic organism is one that lives on or in another organism and draws its nourishment therefrom.) A person with an infection has another organism (a "germ") growing within him, drawing its nourishment from the person. Injury: Harm or hurt. The term "injury" may be applied in medicine to damage inflicted upon oneself as in a hamstring injury or by an external agent on as in a cold injury. The injury may be accidental or deliberate, as with a needlestick injury. The term "injury" may be synonymous (depending on the context) with a wound or with trauma. Isolate: A group in which mating is always between members of the group. For example, the Amish. Keratin: Protein in the upper layer of the skin, hair, nails and animal horns. The word keratin comes from the Indo-European ker meaning horn. Laser: A powerful beam of light that can produce intense heat when focused at close range. Lasers are used in medicine in microsurgery, cauterization, for diagnostic purposes, etc. For example, lasers are employed in microsurgery to cut tissue and remove tissue. Leg: In popular usage, the leg extends from the top of the thigh down to the foot. However, in medical terminology, the leg refers to the portion of the lower extremity from the knee to the ankle. Lesion: Pronounced "lee-sion" with the emphasis on the "lee," a lesion can be almost any abnormality involving any tissue or organ due to any disease or any injury. Liquid nitrogen: Nitrogen in a liquid state. Liquid nitrogen is supercool -- about 200 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) below zero -- and is used for cryopreservation, cryosurgery, and cryomedicine. Malignant: 1. Tending to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant hypertension. 2. In regard to a tumor, having the properties of a malignancy that can invade and destroy nearby tissue and that may spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Mole: 1. In dermatology a mole is a pigmented spot on the skin, Also called a nevus. 2. In gynecology, a mass within the uterus formed of partly developed products of conception. Mosaic: An individual or tissue containing two or more types of genetically different cells. All females are mosaics because of X-chromosome inactivation (lyonization). Neuropathy: Any and all disease or malfunction of the nerves. Nevus: 1. Any birthmark. Nitrogen: Element number 7, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is biologically important. Nitrogen is a constituent of protein and nucleic acids and is present in all living cells. Nitrogen does not support respiration and is fatal if breathed alone, because of the lack of oxygen. Nitrogen is soluble in the blood and body fluids and, when released as bubbles of gas, can have serious or even fatal consequences. Ointment: A medication preparation that is applied topically (onto the skin). An ointment has an oil base whereas a cream is water-soluble. (The word ointment comes from the Latin ungere meaning anoint with oil). Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors. Papilloma: A small solid benign tumor with a clear-cut border that projects above the surrounding tissue. Pathologist: A doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope. Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located. Peripheral artery disease: A form of peripheral vascular disease in which there is partial or total blockage of an artery, usually one leading to a leg or arm. Leg artery disease and arm artery disease are somewhat different. Pharmacy: A location where prescription drugs are sold. A pharmacy is, by law, constantly supervised by a licensed pharmacist. Plantar: Having to do with the sole of the foot. Plantar warts: Warts that grow on the soles of the feet. Posture: The carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of the limbs (the arms and legs). Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or device for a patient. A prescription has several parts. They include the superscription or heading with the symbol "R" or "Rx", which stands for the word recipe (meaning, in Latin, to take); the inscription, which contains the names and quantities of the ingredients; the subscription or directions for compounding the drug; and the signature which is often preceded by the sign "s" standing for signa (Latin for mark), giving the directions to be marked on the container. Prevalence: The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease. Prevalence is a statistical concept referring to the number of cases of a disease that are present in a particular population at a given time. Prognosis: 1. The expected course of a disease. Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific order determined by the base sequence of nucleotides in the DNA coding for the protein. Referral: The recommendation of a medical or paramedical professional. If you get a referral to ophthalmology, for example, you are being sent to the eye doctor. In HMOs and other managed care schemes, a referral is usually necessary to see any practitioner or specialist other than your primary care physician (PCP), if you want the service to be covered. The referral is obtained from your PCP, who may require a telephone or office consultation first. Remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer or other disease. When this happens, the disease is said to be "in remission." A remission can be temporary or permanent. Resolution: In genetics, resolution refers to the degree of molecular detail on a physical map of DNA, ranging from low to high. Salicylic acid: A substance obtained from plants (white willow back and wintergreen leaves) and also synthesized which is versatile and possesses bacteriostatic, fungicidal, and keratolytic actions. Superficial: In anatomy, on the surface or shallow. As opposed to deep. The skin is superficial to the muscles. The cornea is on the superficial surface of the eye. Surgery: The word "surgery" has multiple meanings. It is the branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions which require or are amenable to operative procedures. Surgery is the work done by a surgeon. By analogy, the work of an editor wielding his pen as a scalpel is s form of surgery. A surgery in England (and some other countries) is a physician's or dentist's office. Symptomatic: 1 With symptoms, as a symptomatic infection. 2 Characteristic, as behavior symptomatic of Huntington disease. 3 Directed at the symptoms, as symptomatic treatment. Therapy: The treatment of disease. Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. A topical agent is applied to a certain area of the skin and is intended to affect only the area to which it is applied. Whether its effects are indeed limited to that area depends upon whether the agent stays where it is put or is absorbed into the blood stream. Trauma: Any injury, whether physically or emotionally inflicted. "Trauma" has both a medical and a psychiatric definition. Medically, "trauma" refers to a serious or critical bodily injury, wound, or shock. This definition is often associated with trauma medicine practiced in emergency rooms and represents a popular view of the term. In psychiatry, "trauma" has assumed a different meaning and refers to an experience that is emotionally painful, distressful, or shocking, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects. Ubiquitous: Present everywhere. The small protein called ubiquitin was so-named because it is present in all types of cells and its amino acid sequence is identical in all creatures from insects to humans. Vaccination: Injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against the microbe, thereby preventing disease. Vaccinations, or immunizations, work by stimulating the immune system, the natural disease-fighting system of the body. The healthy immune system is able to recognize invading bacteria and viruses and produce substances (antibodies) to destroy or disable them. Immunizations prepare the immune system to ward off a disease. To immunize against viral diseases, the virus used in the vaccine has been weakened or killed. To only immunize against bacterial diseases, it is generally possible to use a small portion of the dead bacteria to stimulate the formation of antibodies against the whole bacteria. In addition to the initial immunization process, it has been found that the effectiveness of immunizations can be improved by periodic repeat injections or "boosters." Also see Vaccines (in the plural) and Vaccine of a specific type (such Vaccine, Polio). Verruca: A wart by another name, a local growth of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) caused by a virus. The virus of warts (a human papillomavirus) is transmitted by contact. The contact can be with a wart on someone else or one on oneself (autoinoculation). Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, "My daughter has a viral rash." Viral infection: Infection caused by the presence of a virus in the body. Depending on the virus and the person's state of health, various viruses can infect almost any type of body tissue, from the brain to the skin. Viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics; in fact, in some cases the use of antibiotics makes the infection worse. The vast majority of human viral infections can be effectively fought by the body's own immune system, with a little help in the form of proper diet, hydration, and rest. As for the rest, treatment depends on the type and location of the virus, and may include anti-viral or other drugs. Virus: A microorganism smaller than a bacteria, which cannot grow or reproduce apart from a living cell. A virus invades living cells and uses their chemical machinery to keep itself alive and to replicate itself. It may reproduce with fidelity or with errors (mutations)-this ability to mutate is responsible for the ability of some viruses to change slightly in each infected person, making treatment more difficult. Wart: A local growth of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) caused by a virus. The virus of warts (a papillomavirus) is transmitted by contact. The contact can be with a wart on someone else or one on oneself (autoinoculation).
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Plantar Warts
Warts Overview
Warts are small harmless tumors of the skin caused byÂa virus called the human papillomavirus. The appearance of warts can differ based on the type of wart and where it is located on the body. Most warts are well defined, with skin thickening.
- Warts are common in children. Most cases occur between ages 12-16 years.
- Up to 30% of warts disappear by themselves within 6 months. Most will disappear without any treatment within 3 years.
Warts - Causes
Warts are caused by the DNA-containing human papillomavirus (HPV). There are at least 63 genetically different types of HPVs.
- The virus enters the skin after direct contact with recently shed viruses kept alive in warm, moist environments such as a locker room, or by direct contact with an infected person. The entry site is often an area of recent injury. The incubation time-from when the virus is contracted until a wart appea...
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