Wart regression in children: Comparison of relaxation-imagery to topical treatment and equal time interventions

Relaxation, mental imagery (RMI) standard topical treatment (TopTx) and equal time-control interventions were compared or, measures of wart regression in sixty one, 6-12-year-old children. Subjects chose one common ("index") wart and attended 4 visits or er 8 weeks Ar each visit, total and "index" extremity wart number rr ere counted and a photo was taken of the "index wart" for later measurement On average, total wart number decreased by 10% and "index wart" area decreased by 20% with no significant group differences during the first eight weeks. Phone follow was conducted 6 to 18 months from study entry. At phone follow up, there rr-as a trend for more RMI and TopTx subjects to report complete wart resolution (p = 0.07) with a majority of RMI children reporting use of RMI or no specific treatment pursuit. We conclude there rr as no significant short-term benefit for RMI in this randomized controlled trial of wart regression in children. However, longer term benefits for RMI and Top Is-groups are suggested.