[Condylomata acuminata in children]. / Condylomata acuminata hos børn.

During the period 1.1.1967 to 31.12.1986, a total of 34 children with condylomata acuminata were treated in the County Hospitals in Copenhagen. Nineteen of these were treated during the last five years of the period. A retrospective study revealed that 12 of the children were under the age of two years when the condylomata appeared. In eight of these, one or both of the parents had condylomata at the time of the child's birth suggesting that infection of the child may have occurred during delivery. Among the remaining 22 children, a possible source of infection was revealed in only one case. In the children, condylomata were much more frequently localized perianally or anally than in adults. There was no evidence of sexual abuse in any of the children but systematic investigation with this in mind was not undertaken. The finding of condylomata in children raises the suspicion of sexual abuse but does not prove this. Investigation and treatment should, as a rule, be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team preferably in a paediatric department.