ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2003 June;138(3):219-23

Copyright © 2003 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Anogenital warts. A new topical treatment

Donofrio P., Del Sorbo A., Donofrio Pa., Sammarco E., La Forza M. T.

Clinica Dermatologica Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Napoli

Aim. Many physical and chemical treatments are available for the treatment of anogenital warts due to human papilloma virus (HPV), but relapses are frequent. Moreover, all these treatments, based on destruction of the lesions, are painful and often expensive. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream. Imiquimod is a recent topical immune response modifier and is used for the treatment of external anogenital warts. The drug can induce keratinocytes to produce interferon and many other cytokines to indirectly inhibit viral replication and promote stronger cell-mediate immune response.
Methods. We evaluated the efficacy of imiquimod cream 5% on 34 patients (25 males and 9 females) with external anogenital warts. Patients were instructed to apply imiquimod 5% cream, 3 times a week (in alternate days) to cover the warts area. Patients were controlled every 2-3 weeks until clinical resolution of the lesions and were followed-up at 3 and 6 months after ending treatment.
Results. Twenty-eight of 34 patients completed the treatment, 6 patients discontinued for personal reasons. Clearance of warts was obtained in 23 patients in the average of about 8 weeks of therapy and in 5 patients in about 4 weeks. The most common adverse reactions were erythema and burning. Twenty-six patients had not relapses after 3 and 6 months of follow-up; 2 patients had relapses before 3 months from the end of treatment.
Conclusion. This study confirms imiquimod 5% cream is safe and effective in patients with external anogenital warts.