Patient assessment of anogenital warts and the success of treatment with home applied therapy.

Home treatment with podophyllotoxin or imiquimod are commonly prescribed therapies for anogenital warts. It is important to ascertain if patients are locating all lesions for treatment and if they know when they are clear of them. We set out to assess patients' ability to determine the number and location of their genital warts and compare their observation with that of their examining doctor or nurse. Following instruction on the use of home treatment and being given an instruction leaflet patients were reviewed in four weeks' time. One hundred and fifty-five patients enrolled in the study--31% (48) male, 69% (107) female. At initial assessment 62.5% (30) of male patients and 59.8% (64) of female patients underestimated the extent of their disease: 10.5% (5) of male patients and 10.3% (11) of female patients overestimated their disease burden with some mistaking skin tags for genital warts. At review 29.4% (5) of male patients and 44.4% (20) of female patients still underestimated the extent of their infection. Patients undertaking home treatment for warts not only need detailed instruction on its use but should be reviewed to assess the success of treatment.