EXTERNAL GENITAL WARTS - REPORT OF THE AMERICAN-MEDICAL-ASSOCIATION CONSENSUS CONFERENCE

A consensus process was undertaken to describe and evaluate current in formation and practice regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and evaluat ion of patients with external genital warts (EGWs) and their sex partn ers. This process developed a number of key statements that were based on strong evidence in the literature or reasonable suppositions and o pinions of experts. Key statements included the following. In most cas es, EGWs can be diagnosed clinically by visual inspection. No one trea tment is ideal for all patients or all warts. Women with EGWs and fema le sex partners of men with EGWs are at increased risk for human papil lomavirus-related cervical disease and, like all women, should be scre ened for cervical cancer. The diagnosis of EGWs in children requires a sexual abuse evaluation. Clinicians who treat EGWs have a responsibil ity to counsel patients and to provide information about the infectivi ty, diagnosis, treatment, and natural history of EGWs and general info rmation about sexual health and other sexually transmitted diseases.