Anogenital warts incidence, medical management and costs in women consulting gynaecologists in France

Objectives. - The objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence of genital warts and treatment costs in women consulting gynaecologists in France in 2005. Patients and methods. - A prospective observational study was performed through a representative sample of gynaecologists. Investigators enrolled all patients seen with genital warts during a 2-month period. A questionnaire detailing socio-demographic characteristics, case description, patient's clinical profile, past/ current management, and treatment of genital warts was completed by the investigators. Results. - 212 gynaecologists participated in the study. Questionnaires were completed for 263 patients including 198 (75.3%) new cases, 53 (20.2%) recurrent cases and 12 (4.5%) resistant cases. The overall incidence was estimated at 228.9/100,000 (female 15-65 year old population) corresponding to 47,755 cases annually managed by gynaecologists in France. The average treatment cost was 482.70 (sic) for society and 342.40 (sic) for third-party payers. The annual direct cost of genital warts management was estimated at 23,051,339 (sic), of which 16,351,312 (sic) was funded by the French health care system. Discussion and conclusion. - The costs of treating genital warts are considerable. The introduction of a quadrivalent (type 6,11,16,18) Human Papillomavirus vaccine including types responsible for 90% of genital warts could potentially substantially reduce these costs. (C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.