Therapy for genital warts

This article presents the spectrum of genital wart infection, including possible subclinical infection and reinfection from partners. Present therapy is effective in warts of recent onset but usually requires multiple treatments and is painful, and warts are frequently recurrent. Trials of combination therapy appear to have greater efficacy than does single-agent treatment. Problems for the future include the best management of warts in the sexually abused child, the immunocompromised host, and the pregnant patient. Genital warts are increasingly linked with the potential development of carcinoma, mandating more effective treatment regimens in the future.