Background: Warts are common viral skin infections caused by human papillomavirus. None of the available treatment modalities fulfills the criteria of an ideal treatment option.
Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydrogen peroxide (HP) 3% and 6% solution as a topical treatment of nongenital warts.
Methods: This prospective randomized controlled study included 145 patients with nongenital warts. They were divided into three groups. Group 1 used topical hydrogen peroxide 6% solution under occlusion with a plastic tape for one hour daily for 6 weeks, group 2 used hydrogen peroxide 3% solution, and group 3 used normal saline 0.9% as a placebo. Patients were evaluated at the third and sixth weeks of treatment and 12 weeks after treatment completion.
Results: Treatment responses were significantly better in groups 1 and 2 than in group 3 with a better overall responses in group 1 than in group 2 (P = 0.0001*). Apart from mild hypopigmentation which was detected in only two patients in groups 1 and 2, no other side effects could be detected. Three months after treatment completion, no recurrence was observed.
Conclusion: Hydrogen peroxide solution (3% and 6%) is an effective, safe, and cheap treatment modality for nongenital warts which can be used simply at home. Since the overall response was better with the 6% concentration, it should be the better therapeutic option.
Keywords: hydrogen peroxide solution; nongenital wart.
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.