Estimating the burden of illness related to genital warts in the Philippines: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background This study estimated genital warts prevalence, genital-warts-related healthcare resource use and costs, and self-reported human-papillomavirus-related psychosocial impact among male and female patients aged 18–60 years in the Philippines. Methods Prevalence was estimated using daily logs numbering genital warts patients treated by participating physicians in 4 Philippine regions over a 5-week period (09JUL2011-24SEP2012). Physicians also completed a survey assessing patient referral patterns, healthcare resource use, treatment, and follow-up care. Psychosocial impact was estimated using the human papillomavirus impact profile and the EQ-5D questionnaires. HIP and EQ-5D scores were compared according to the presence of GW (males) and HPV disease (females). CECA scores were also compared by gender and age groups. Results Overall genital warts prevalence was estimated at 4.78% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.58–4.98%) for men and women aged 18–60 years. Genital warts prevalence was 3.39% (95% CI: 3.13–3.65%) and 8.0% (95% CI: 7.69–8.31%) among women and men, respectively. Prevalence estimates were highest in infectious disease specialist practices 18.67% (95% CI: 18.66–18.69%). Two thirds of the 233 (69.14%) male and 166 (67.20%) female patients were newly-diagnosed genital warts cases. Median costs for genital warts diagnosis and treatment reached 7121 and 7000 Philippine pesos among men and women, respectively. In the Cuestionario Específico para Condiloma Acuminado questionnaire, no statistically significant differences between patients were observed. In the EQ-5D questionnaire, male genital warts patients reported lower mean visual analogue scale scores than those without genital warts (78.20 vs 86.34, p < 0.0001). Mean visual analogue scale score values and utility values were lower for women with human-papillomavirus-related diseases than those without (77.98 vs 78.93, and 0.84 vs 0.88, respectively). Conclusions Genital warts is prevalent in the Philippines; more than 60% of cases were newly diagnosed, contributing to high genital-warts-related healthcare resource costs. Diagnosis of genital warts and human papillomavirus negatively impacted psychosocial indices such as patient well-being and health-related quality of life.

The effectiveness of a model-based health education program on genital warts preventive behaviors: a quasi-experimental study

“…A body of research shows that in 60% of cases, a single sexual contact via skin and oral mucosa can transmit the disease to the sex partner [ 8 ]. The related literature show that about 6.2 million new types of GWs occur annually in the 14–44-year-old population [ 9 ]. The findings on the prevalence of GWs in different countries have been quite divergent.…”

Costs and Resource Use Among Patients with Cervical Cancer, Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, and Genital Warts in Algeria

“…However, we note that previous studies of the HCRU and costs associated with warts in other countries have used expert opinion as a data source. 16,17 In addition, the results reported here are from a panel of 15 oncologists, gynecologists, and dermatologists so the results may not be representative of trends observed in the entire country. Second, this study did not calculate the actual economic burden of HPV-related diseases in Algeria but rather estimated the costs based on the answers to the questionnaire plus local cost data.…”

“…14 Several publications thereafter confirm this range. [15][16][17] The total estimated cost per patient with genital warts in Algeria (diagnosis, first-and second-line treatment, and recurrence combined) was 40 825 DZD, which is equivalent to US $308 (using an online currency converter on April 13, 2021). The systematic review mentioned above reported a range of costs per episode of genital warts in different countries, from $168 to $1196 (in 2009 US dollars).…”

Exploring the care received by HPV-positive married women at a colposcopy clinic in Tehran, Iran: A qualitative study

“…[ 23 24 ] This highlights the need for tailoring and piloting specific HPV messages for women to minimize their adverse emotional reactions. [ 25 ] Senkomago and Saraiya (2017) stated that perceptions or behaviors including compliance with follow-up procedures, and also methods to educate or communicate with women and healthcare providers about HPV are the issues that need to be considered properly. [ 26 ]…”