Childhood lichen planus: A series of 42 patients

Abhinav Kumar, Vibhu Mendiratta, Shilpi Agarwal, Ram Chander, Sarita Sanke

Indian Journal of Paediatric Dermatology 2018 19(2):116-119

Background: Lichen planus (LP) is a papulosquamous disease of unknown etiology that is relatively uncommon in children. There is a paucity of data on the clinical profile of LP in children. Available case series are few and majority being retrospective. A cross-sectional observational study to evaluate the clinical profile of childhood LP was performed. Materials and Methods: All childhood cases (<18 years) with histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of LP were evaluated. Detailed clinical history, examination, and investigations were performed according to a proforma. Observation and Results: There were 42 children and childhood LP constituted 1.4% of the pediatric dermatoses. There were 26 females (61.9%) and 16 (38.1%) males with male to female ratio of 1:1.6. The age ranged from 2 to 18 years with a mean age of 11.6 ± 5.1 years. The duration of the disease ranged from 15 days to 5 years with a mean of 8.6 ± 9.4 months. History of recent hepatitis B vaccination was found in 6 (14.3%) patients, and exposure to X-ray radiation was seen in 3 (7.1%). The most common morphological presentation of LP was papules and plaques observed in 34 (81%) patients. Classical LP was the most common variant, found in 29 (69%) patients, followed by hypertrophic variant in 7 (16.7%) patients. Koebnerization was found in 31 (73.8%) patients. Oral mucosa involvement was seen in 28.6% of patients, nail in 42.85%, and scalp in 7.1% of patients. Conclusion: Childhood LP resembles adult LP in most of the aspects. However, etiological factors in childhood LP may be different. It is an under-reported disease. Large multi-centric prospective studies should be undertaken to acquire a better understanding of the clinical profile of childhood LP.