Anti—Liver-Kidney Microsome Type 1 Antibodies in Lichen Planus

To the Editor.— The recent description of a patient with lichen planus (LP) and anti—liver-kidney microsome (LKM)— positive chronic active hepatitis 1 prompted us to verify the possible prevalence of anti-LKM type 1 (anti-LKM1) antibody in a population of patients with LP with and without chronic liver disorder. Forty-six patients with LP (25 women and 20 men) were recruited retrospectively. Sixteen had been diagnosed as having chronic liver disorder on the basis of persistent alterations in at least three of the following serum chemistry results: alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin. The presence of anti-LKM1 antibodies was determined by indirect immunoflourescence, using rat kidney and liver as substrates, and by counterimmunoelectrophoresis, using rat liver as a source of antigen. 2 No anti-LKM1 antibodies were found in any patient, suggesting that their occurrence in patients with LP is only occasional. In the case reported by Cottoni and coworkers,