Comparison of outcome with 50% salicylic acid versus cryotherapy in the treatment of plantar warts

Objective: “To compare the outcome of 50% salicylic acid versus cryotherapy in treating plantar warts.” Methodology: An RCT was conducted at the dermatology department of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, from August 1st, 2024, to January 31st, 2025. A total of 656 patients with plantar warts were randomly allocated to Group A (cryotherapy) and Group B (50% salicylic acid). All patients were evaluated at the conclusion of week 12 following the commencement of therapy. The outcome was classified as complete response (absence of warts), partial response (decreased number of warts), and no response after 12 weeks of treatment. The outcome was compared using a 5% significance level chi-square test, and a p-value of ? 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Both groups were comparable in terms of mean age, gender, duration of warts, and the number of warts. Group A had a higher complete response rate than Group B (30.8% vs. 24.7%; p = 0.134). No significant associations were found between patient response and study groups for age (p = 0.180), gender (p = 0.120), duration of warts (p = 0.249), or number of warts (p = 0.458). Conclusion: Our study concludes that cryotherapy had a better complete response rate than 50% salicylic acid at 12 weeks of therapy. Key Words: Cold Therapy; Cryotherapy; Human Papillomavirus; Salicylic Acid; Plantar Warts; Verruca; Warts;