Cryotherapy vs salicylic acid for plantar warts

January 01, 0001

Cryotherapy vs salicylic acid for plantar warts

These UK and Irish researchers the clinical effectiveness of salicylic acid versus cryotherapy in the treatment of plantar warts. They performed a multicenter randomized controlled trial. They recruited 240 patients with plantar warts age 12 or older who were randomized to either liquid nitrogen cryotherapy (up to four treatments) delivered by a health care provider or daily self treatment with 50% salicylic acid.

The researchers found: "There was no evidence of a difference between the salicylic acid and cryotherapy groups in the proportions of participants with complete clearance of all plantar warts at 12 weeks (17/119 (14%) v 15/110 (14%), difference 0.65%). The results did not change when the analysis was repeated but with adjustment for age, whether the wart had been treated previously, and type of plantar wart or for patients’ preferences at baseline. There was no evidence of a difference between the salicylic acid and cryotherapy groups in self reported clearance of plantar warts at six months (29/95 (31%) v 33/98 (34%), difference -3.15%) or in time to clearance (hazard ratio 0.80). There was also no evidence of a difference in the number of plantar warts at 12 weeks (incident rate ratio 1.08 (0.81 to 1.43), P=0.62)."

The researchers concluded: "Salicylic acid and the cryotherapy were equally effective for clearance of plantar warts."

Both cryotherapy and salicylic acid yielded only a 14% complete success rate in treating plantar warts

For the full abstract, click here.

BMJ 342:d3271, 7 June 2011 © 2011 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Cryotherapy versus salicylic acid for the treatment of plantar warts (verrucae): a randomised controlled trial. Sarah Cockayne, Catherine Hewitt, Kate Hicks, et al. Correspondence to S Cockayne: [email protected]

Category: S. Skin. Keywords: warts, plantar, treatment, cryotherapy, salicylic acid, randomized controlled trial, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 28 June 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

COVID-19 Resources

WONCA webinars, journal links and more

WONCA position statements

WONCA statements on a variety of issues

PEARLS

577 Individual behavioural counselling helps people to quit smoking 575 Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements may be beneficial in age-related macular degeneration 574 Oral antifungals effective for toenail onychomycosis 570 Decision aids beneficial for people facing health treatment or screening decisions 569 Computer-generated reminders on paper benefit quality of care