Warts A055

Current RMA Instruments

Changes from previous Instruments

ICD Coding

ICD-10-AM Codes: A63.0, B07

Brief description

Warts are benign growths on the skin or mucosa caused by infection with human papilloma virus (HPV).  They can affect any area of the skin or mucous membranes including the oral cavity, cervix uteri and anogenital region. 

Confirming the diagnosis

This diagnosis is made on clinical grounds.  A biopsy may be needed in some cases of anogenital warts, to confirm the diagnosis and exclude malignancy.  Testing for human papilloma virus is unhelpful.

The appropriate medical specialist depends on the location of the warts but may be a dermatologist, urologist or gynaecologist.

Additional diagnoses covered by SOP

• Anogenital warts
• Cervix uteri warts
• Condyloma acuminata
• Laryngeal warts
• Oropharyngeal papilloma/warts
• Penile wart
• Periungal wart
• Plantar wart
• Urethral wart
• Venereal warts
• Verruca (acuminata, plana, plantarus or vulgaris)
• Vulval wart

Conditions excluded from SOP

• Gonorrhoeal condyloma^#
• Henle’s or Hassall-Henle’s wart of cornea^#
• Peruvian Warts caused by Bartonella^#
• Seborrhoeic warts* - seborrhoeic keratosis SOP
• Senile warts^#
• Syphilitic warts or condyloma latum^#
• Tuberculous warts or prosector warts* - tuberculosis SOP 
• Warts caused by Molluscum contagiosum^#
• Warts or papilloma of bladder^#

* another SOP applies

^# non-SOP condition

Clinical onset

Clinical onset will be based on self-report of when the lesions first appeared.  There may be different clinical onsets for different body sites.

Clinical worsening

The course of warts is unpredictable.  They may spontaneously resolve, persist, or progress.  A variety of topical treatments are available, but these wont cure the underlying infection.  Establishing that worsening beyond the normal course has occurred will be difficult and will generally require specialist opnion.