Non – classical clinical variants of lichen planus .Clinicopathological study of 43 cases

Open Access

Abstract

Background : Lichen planus is a well Known inflammatory skin disease with a characteristic clinical features in its classical form, but sometimes it presents clinically in a non-classical forms . These non-classical variants of lichen planus must be highlighted for their early diagnosis . Design: It is a retrospective study Objective: To focus on the clinical and histopathological feature of the non-classical variants of lichen planus , to show the distribution of these variants of lichen planus in a group of our patients in Jordan . Patients and Methods: All cases of lichen planus with non-classical presentations that have been seen by us in our practice at Jordan University Hospital, AL-Karak Teaching Governmental Hospital and in private practice from Jan. 2014 to Dec. 2017 were included in this study. Their clinical date were retrieved and analyzed. Skin biopsy was performed in all cases. Their histopathological features were analyzed. Results: Out of a total number of 135 cases of lichen planus cases that have been seen during the period of this study from Jan. 2012 to Dec. 2017 there were 43 cases of lichen planus with non-classical clinical presentations representing 32% of the total number of all lichen planus cases with age range from 3 to 80 year old (mean age 36 year). There were 25 males and 18 females with male to female ration f 1.4 : 1. Different non-classical variants of lichen planus were seen in our study . The main diagnostic histopathological features of lichen planus were present in all cases but with some variation. Conclusion: Not uncommon for lichen planus to present in a non-classical variants with variable clinical presentations but the histopathological features are almost always diagnostic and by histopathological examination and cliniopathological correlation the diagnose can be made precisely .