Lichen planus and hepatitis C virus infection

BACKGROUND: The association of lichen planus (LP) with liver diseases is well established. The reported prevalence rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in patients with LP tend to appear quite variable. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HCV antibodies in a group of patients with LP and evaluate the clinical characteristics of the subgroup with LP associated with HCV. METHODS: We studied 101 patients, 57 (56.4%) women and 44 (43.5%) men with a mean age of 48 years, consecutively diagnosed with cutaneous and/or mucosal LP between January 1992 and December 2000. We used 99 age- and sex-matched controls. RESULTS: Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in nine cases (8.9%) of the LP group but only two (2.02%) of the controls. The odds ratio between the subjects with HCV positivity and those with negative HCV virus was 4.74, with a confidence interval at 95%, between 0.999 and 22.545. A statistically significant association was only demonstrated between erosive LP and infection by HCV. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of liver disease caused by HCV should be ruled out in patients with LP, especially in the erosive form.