Lichen Planus And Hepatitis C Infection : Exploring The Association Among Malaysian Patients
- Author:
Norazirah MN
;
Mazlin MB
;
Adawiyah J
;
Asmah J
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
lichen planus;
viral hepatitis;
Malaysia
- From:Malaysian Journal of Dermatology
2013;31(-):8-12
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background: The association between chronic hepatitis C infection with lichen planus (LP) remains
controversial. Geographical and immunogenetic factors may play a role in this association.
Objectives: We sought to compare the prevalence of hepatitis C in patients with LP with healthy blood
donors at our centre.
Materials & Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All
patients with biopsy- proven LP who had undergone hepatitis C serology screening from January 2007
to June 2012 were recruited. The prevalence of Hepatitis C seropositivity among healthy blood donors
in Malaysia was used as comparison.
Results: Thirty five patients with LP were included in the study. Majority of the patients were Indians
(71.4%) followed by Malays (14.3%), Chinese (8.6%) and other ethnicity (5.7%). 82.6% of patients
had classical cutaneous LP out of which 17% had oral involvement. Anti-HCV was reactive in 2.9%
patients. Among the healthy blood donors, anti-HCV was positive in 1.5% of patients. There was no
significant difference between the prevalence of hepatitis C seropositivity between the two groups
(p=0.431).
Conclusion: There is no significant association between chronic hepatitis C infection and LP among
our patients. We recommend screening for hepatitis C in LP patients should be limited to those with
risk factors.
