ABSTRACT
Background: genital warts are the most common viral sexually transmitted disease affecting 1% of the population. A prospective, open-label controlled trial was performed to compare topical 5% potassium hydroxide [KOH] solution with CO[2] laser in the treatment of female genital warts
Methods: seventy patients were enrolled in the study after convenience sampling. Right-sided lesions of the patients were treated by CO[2] laser every 3 weeks. The left-sided lesions of the same patients were treated by topical 5% KOH solution twice a day using a toothpick with cotton wrap on the tip. The patients were visited at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after initiation of the treatment and followed up for 6 months after the last visit
Results: out of seventy patients, sixty three completed the study and were analyzed. A total of 56 KOH treated-patients [88.9%] showed complete response. On the other hand, 56 laser-treated patients [88.9%] presented complete clearing of the lesion. There was not any difference in response to both modalities of treatment. Complications of KOH solution and CO[2] laser were 24% and 19% respectively [P>0.05], but serious adverse events were not observed. The patients under KOH treatment displayed a recurrence rate of 11.1% [7 cases], while the same patients with CO[2] laser therapy demonstrated a recurrence rate of 7.9% [5 cases] [P=0.54]
Conclusion: topical 5% KOH solution was as effective as CO[2] laser in the treatment of female genital warts. There was not any serious complication in the application of KOH solution. This could be used as a new treatment for genital warts
ABSTRACT
Pemphigoid gestationis [PG] is a rare autoimmune bullous dermatosis of pregnancy usually presents in the second or third trimester. It is characterized by pruritic, urticarial plaques with the development of tense vesicles and bullae within the lesions. Pathogenesis of PG is not fully established, however, most patients develop circulating autoantibodies targeting the bullous pemphigoid [BP] 180 antigen. The aim of this work is to draw a profile of the epidemiology, clinical aspects, treatment and evolution of the disease by studying hospital series. We retrospectively investigated the 13 patients who were diagnosed with PG based on hospital data at the Referral Center of Southwest Iran located in Ahvaz city between March 2002 and March 2011. The age of onset was 21 to 40 years [mean age: 27.5 years]. The onset of the disease occurred in the second trimester of pregnancy in 6 patients and in the third trimester of pregnancy in 4 patients. One patient had a flare up of disease during the first trimester and two out of cases in puerperium period. In all cases, pruritus was the first symptom, followed by an erythematous vesiculobullous eruption. The diagnosis of PG was confirmed by skin biopsy. Ten out of the patients treated with oral corticosteroids [0.5-1 mg/kg/day], one of the patients underwent oral corticosteroids plus topical glucocorticoid and the last patient treated with topical glucocorticoid. PG remains a rare dermatosis of pregnancy. Our series had two particularities compared to other studies: high frequency in primigravida and the frequent involvement of the face. Additionally our study demonstrated that improvement could occur faster and provide acceptable management if the treatment of the patients would be implemented sooner