Mucosal lichen planus, a systemic disease requiring multidisciplinary care: a cross-sectional clinical review from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study aimed to emphasize the importance of seeing mucosal lichen planus (LP) as a systemic disease and not an isolated oral or genital disease and to analyze the proportion of thyroid antibodies among patients with multimucosal LP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

All patients examined by the authors and diagnosed with mucosal LP within 1 year were consecutively included. Full medical histories were collected with special emphasis on autoimmune and thyroid diseases. Sera were analyzed for thyroid antibodies and underwent serologic test for herpes virus. The control group comprised 83 healthy volunteers matched regarding sex and age.

RESULTS:

Of the patients, 120 were included, 89 (74%) of whom were women and 31 (26%) were men. The vast majority of the patients had multifocal lesions, whereas oral lesions solely were found in 28% of women and 36% of men. Of the patients, 28% had at least 1 additional autoimmune disease. Approximately half of the women were treated with levothyroxine owing to thyroid disease. Antibodies against herpes simplex virus were found in 60% of the patients and 44% of the controls (p < .03).

CONCLUSIONS:

Lichen planus with mucosal involvement should be considered and taken care of as a systemic disease and not as an isolated oral and/or genital lichen. Contradictory to many former reports, most of our patients have a multimucosal disease that emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary clinic to get optimal care and treatment.

• Authors: Majid Ebrahimi, Lotta Lundqvist, Ylva Britt Wahlin, Elisabet Nylander
• Journal: Journal of lower genital tract disease (J Low Genit Tract Dis) Vol. 16 Issue 4 Pg. 377-80 (Oct 2012) ISSN: 1526-0976 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22622344 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibodies

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Antibodies (blood)
• Autoimmune Diseases (diagnosis, pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Lichen Planus (diagnosis, pathology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Thyroid Gland (immunology)
• Young Adult