HIGHER LESION NUMBERS RESULT IN HIGHER RECURRENCE RATES: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY IN CONDYLOMATA ACUMINATA TREATED WITH ELECTROCAUTERIZATION.

Condylomata acuminata (anogenital warts/CA) is the most frequent sexually transmitted disease with high recurrence rates in young adults resulting in considerable morbidity. An analysis performed on the five-year retrospective data of the CA patients who have visited our dermatology clinic, was aimed at the success rate of treatment with electrocauterization and recurrence dynamics, as well at determining the demographic structure of the patients. 237 patients with CA, who were treated at our hospital's dermatology clinic with electrocauterization under local anesthesia, during 2012-2017 were followed up retrospectively. The lesion number of each patient was recorded at the first visit. All the visible lesions were removed and cleared in all patients in all sessions. After the treatment, each patient was followed up every three months for one year. The data on demographic features, disease duration, lesion counts, treatment efficacy, and recurrence rates were statistically analyzed. Males were older in age and had higher number of recurrences after treatment compared to females (36.7 vs. 30.8; p=0.0015), but there was no statistically significant difference in disease durations prior to the first visit. Total recurrence ratios and the relevant patient numbers were 26.4% (n=53) and 22.2% (n=8) for male and female patients respectively (p=0.0001). For both male and female patients, the lesion numbers recorded at the first visit were found significantly higher in the patients with recurrence, compared to the patients without recurrence (p=0.0027 and p=0.0006, respectively). Electrocauterization is an effective modality in treatment of CA and the recurrence rate is relatively low in comparison to the published data on recurrence with other ablative therapy methods. The significantly higher recurrence in males may be the result of more risky (frivolous) sexual behavior adopted by them. Due to the higher probability of recurrence, the patients with multiple lesions should be followed closely after the treatment.