| Sumario: | Background: Warts are a common condition and common reason for attending primary care. The two main treatments are salicylic acid and cryotherapy, both of which have a significant difference in cost. Aim: To examine the cure rate of salicylic acid compared to cryotherapy to see if salicylic acid could be recommended as first line treatment. Methods: A structured literature search was completed using predetermined search terms. Articles were screened and duplicate and inappropriate articles were removed using a set inclusion criteria. Results: Five articles were included in the meta-analysis. The methodological quality of each was assessed using McMasters framework, which showed an overall reasonable methodological quality with the exception of article C, which showed poor quality in all areas. The pooled results showed salicylic acid was not as effective at achieving cure. However, given the significant heterogeneity of the effect sizes and large confidence interval the results could be seen as equivocal. Conclusion: Whilst cryotherapy had a higher cure rate then salicylic acid, when weighed against the significantly higher costs this review recommends the use of salicylic acid as first line treatment.
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