‘‘Acquired epidermodysplasia verruciformis’’ in kidney transplant patients

Background: Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a well known inherited autosomal recessive skin disease associated with numerous early onset viral warts on the sun exposed parts of the body that usually progress into skin malignancies. Kidney transplant patients are also commonly associated with viral warts that might change into skin cancers. Objective: To describe the clinical pictures of extensive viral warts with skin malignancies in kidney transplant patients in comparison with inherited (EV) features. Patients and methods: This case controlledstudy that included 130 patients with kidney transplantation was done in kidney transplantation centers in Baghdad and Al-Karma Teaching Hospitals during December 2002 to September 2004. All recruited patients were receiving multiple immunosuppressive drugs like methyl prednisolone succinate, oral prednisolone, azathioprine and cyclosporine. History was takenfromall patients includingall the relevantpoints.Thesepatientswere dividedintothree groups according to the duration of kidney transplant: group A 1–10 years, group B 11–20 years and group C more than 20 years. Biopsies were performed from the viral warts lesions and the associated tumors. Twohundredandsixtyapparentlyhealthy individuals,206males and54femaleshadbeenexaminedas control cases for the presence of viral warts and tumors. These control cases had been taken randomly from general population in multiple regions in Baghdad.