Promising New Wart Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Warts are common dermatological lesion caused by skin epithelial cells’ infection with human Papillomavirus (HPV). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a new method for the treatment of dermal warts. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this clinical trial study, 60 patients (older than 10 years) with dermal warts living in Baneh city, west of Iran, were allocated into the intervention and control groups using the block randomized method in 2012. In the intervention group, outer layers of the dermal wart carved using scalpel and HD tablet set on it and covered with adhesive. In the second and third days, it was repeated again. All stages in the intervention group were similar to the placebo group. Placebo was prepared by a pharmacologist, which was similar to the HD tablet. In both groups, patients were examined one week and one month after taking the last tablet by the physician in terms of improvement or lack of improvement. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 18 using chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA for repeated measures. RESULTS: In the first week after the intervention, warts were changed in 93.3% of the cases; however, no changes were recorded in the control group. One month after follow-up, the mean was 0.4 ± 0.7 in the intervention group and 5.5 ± 4.9 in the control group (P = 0.0001). Based on ANOVA for repeated measures and t-test, the average number of warts, before, one week and one month after the intervention was statistically significant for both intervention (P = 0.009) and control groups (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This method is recommended for the treatment of dermal warts, owing to the effectiveness, short duration of treatment, and low cost of topical treatment for dermal warts using HD tablets.