Open AccessPhysical and Psychological Effects of Anogenital Warts on Female Patients
Author(s) -
G. Persson,
Lars Gosta Dahlof,
Ingela Krantz
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
sexually transmitted diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.507
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1537-4521
pISSN - 0148-5717
DOI - 10.1097/00007435-199301000-00003
Subject(s) - medicine , obstetrics and gynaecology , public health , family medicine , health care , gynecology , psychiatry , nursing , pregnancy , genetics , economics , biology , economic growth
Symptoms and psychological reactions of 82 patients with anogenital warts were recorded in a descriptive study at the beginning and after treatment. A majority of the patients had substantial and longstanding symptoms like local pain, tenderness, and discharge. Anxieties about cancer and cure were common. With a mood adjective checklist, the patients were compared to 58 referents, matched for background variables. There were significant differences in experiences of pleasantness, activation, and social orientation, which suggest a conspicuous emotional effect of the disease. The clinical picture and pathology of anogenital warts are well known, but the profound impact, hitherto unknown, of the disease on women's physical and psychological well-being should also be taken into account when designing health care and prevention.