Clinical and histopathological spectrum of lichen planus

Authors

  • Rohit Rampal
  • Sunil K Gupta
  • Neena Sood
  • Anupama Rampal
  • Shweta Karkara
  • Jaspreet Kaur

Keywords:

Clinical features, histopathology, lichen planus

Abstract

Objective To determine histopathological correlation with clinical presentation of lichen planus (LP). Methods From the patients attending the outpatient department of Dermatology of Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, those who were clinically diagnosed as LP constituted the study material. Results Oral LP was the most common clinical variant with 24 (40%) cases, out of which 18 (30%) were of reticular oral LP, 6 (10%) were of erosive oral lichen planus. 19 (31.7%) cases were of classical LP, 6 (10%) were of hypertrophic LP, 5 (8.3%) were of LP pigmentosus, 3 (5%) were of eruptive LP, 1 (1.7%) was of genital LP, 1 (1.7%) was of lichen planopilaris, 1 (1.7%) was of actinic LP with DLE overlap. Both oral LP and classical LP were the most common histopathological variants with both having 21 (35%) cases. Second most common histopathological variant was that of hypertrophic LP with 6 (10%) cases. Majority of patients were in the age group of 41-60 years. Our study had a female preponderance. Most of the cases sought medical help within 6-10 months of development of symptoms. Lower limbs were the most common site involved in cutaneous LP. Burning sensation was the main presenting complaint in the patients of oral LP. In cutaneous LP moderate to severe itching was the most common symptom. The commonest recognized histopathological features were saw-toothed rete ridges/ irregular acanthosis, vacuolar degeneration of basal layer and band like infiltrate in our study. Conclusion Oral LP is the most common clinical variant followed by classical LP with histopathological findings adequately consistent with the clinical diagnosis. 

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Published

2018-12-13

How to Cite

1.
Rampal R, Gupta SK, Sood N, Rampal A, Karkara S, Kaur J. Clinical and histopathological spectrum of lichen planus. J Pak Assoc Dermatol [Internet]. 2018Dec.13 [cited 2025Feb.8];28(3):344-50. Available from: https://jpad.com.pk/index.php/jpad/article/view/1161

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