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

The objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence of genital warts and treatment costs in women consulting gynaecologists in France in 2005. 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. 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 15-65year old population) corresponding to 47,755 cases annually managed by gynaecologists in France. The average treatment cost was 482.70euro for society and 342.40 euro for third-party payers. The annual direct cost of genital warts management was estimated at 23,051,339euro, of which 16,351,312euro was funded by the French health care system. 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.