Comparative Study between Oral Zinc Sulphate, Amino Acids Chelated Zinc and Placebo in Treatment of Viral Warts

Abstract

Background: Warts are tumors or growths caused by infection with Human Papilloma virus (HPV). More than 100 HPV subtypes are known. They are a common presenting disease in children and adolescents which spread by direct contact or autoinoculation. The aim of the Work: The aim of this work was to assess and compare the efficacy and safety of oral zinc sulphate and amino acids chelated zinc in treatment of viral warts. Patients and Methods: This cross sectional case control study included 60 patients with multiple viral warts who were collected from the Dermatology, STDs and Andrology outpatient clinic of Fayoum university hospital during the period from November 2014 to November 2015. The patients were 29 males and 31 females with ages ranging from 15 to 60 years. Results: There was statistically significant difference in degree of response in zinc and control groups as no patient in control group showed any response while in both zinc groups 27.5% of patients showed variable degrees of response. Also, there was no statistically significant difference in degree of response in both zinc groups. Conclusion: oral zinc in its both forms used in our study is safe but needs time to act and the response is not high, so it is not fit to be used as a monotherapy, but rather to be combined with other wart treatment modalities. Recommendations: More studies are needed to assess the therapeutic effect of zinc and its efficacy in combinations in warts treatment with higher doses and longer duration of treatment.