Retrospective evaluation of clinical and demographic features of 135 patients with lichen planus

Abstract

Aim: Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic, inflammatory, papulosquamous skin disease with different clinical features. The incidence varies according to the geographical regions, although it is seen all over the world and all races. In this study, it was aimed to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with LP in our clinic. Material and Methods: We included 135 patients who applied to our clinic between January 2013 and December 2017 and who were diagnosed as LP by clinical and histopathological examination and who had HbsAg and Anti HCV tests. Patients’ age, sex, clinical variants of disease, mucosal involvement, nail involvement, HbsAg and Anti HCV tests were retrospectively recorded. Results: Of 135 patients included in the study, 68 (50.4%) were males and 67 (49.6%) females. The mean age of the patients ranged from 18 to 65 years, with a mean of 37.8 ± 12.7 years. Oral mucosal involvement was present in 30 (22.2%) patients and nail involvement in 10 (7.4%) patients. Classical LP was present in 111 of the patients (82.2%). HbsAg positivity was found in 3 of the patients (2.2%), but no anti HCV positivity was detected in any of the patients. Conclusion: The clinical and laboratory characteristics of the LP patients in our study were similar to the literature. More research which includes more patients is needed to better understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of LP.