Are The Larger Verrucous Papules Really Warts?
What Are The Smaller Papules And do they need treatment? Diagnosis: Condyloma Acuminata The larger verrucous papules are genital warts, also known as condyloma acuminata. These are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are sexually transmitted. The patient most likely acquired these from his last unprotected sexual encounter, but he may have been infected earlier and the warts just became visible in the last 3 months. The differential diagnosis includes condyloma lata, the flat warts of secondary syphilis, but these are much less common. The small pearly papules on the corona are not warts but a variation of the normal male anatomy, called pearly penile papules. The reason to recognize these papules is to reassure worried men that they are normal and to avoid performing any invasive treatments to remove them. Laboratory Examination All patients with any sexually transmitted disease should be tested for syphilis and HIV regardless of other risk factors.1 In this case, testing for
