A recent study in a major journal has shown the efficacy of zinc supplementation for recalcitrant warts. After a 2-month course of treatment with zinc sulfate, a response rate of 78.1% (25/32 patients) was achieved. The mean serum zinc level in patients who responded to treatment increased to 199.7 ± 19.9 μg/100 mL, while in the remainder, the mean serum zinc level was 73.5 ± 9.2 μg/100 mL After 6 months of follow-up in those who received oral zinc therapy and responded to the treatment, no instance of recurrence was noticed.
The study is from Iran and needs to be repeated, however, this is a safe therapy with little risk. An Iranian colleague told me that low serum zinc is not unusual in his country. On the skeptical side, we remember similar optimism twenty years ago with reports of the effectiveness of oral cimetadine. It never panned out.
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