Lichen Planus Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Lichen planus is an immunologically mediated non-infectious disease affecting either skin or mucous membrane or both. The term lichen planus is derived from the Greek word “leichen” which means tree moss and “planus” means flat. It is a mucocutaneous disease. In this disease, a rash appears on the skin due to your immune system. This rash looks like lichens and that’s why it is termed as lichen planus. This rash can appear anywhere on the body and also inside of your mouth and vagina. It affects 0.5-1% of the world’s population. It mostly affects people over the age of 30. Women are more susceptible to lichen planus than men. It is not a contagious disease.

Causes

Lichen planus is caused by an auto-immune response of your body. In this response, your body attacks its own skin and mucous membrane by mistake. Cytokines are produced in response to this immune system attack and cause apoptosis. The reason behind this immune response is still unknown. Genetics also plays a role in lichen planus because of the weak association between lichen planus and HLA antigen. People with Hepatitis C infection are more likely to develop lichen planus. There are certain factors that trigger the immune response reported in lichen planus. These factors include flu vaccination, pain killers, certain metals, pigments and chemicals. Certain medicines used for heart diseases, arthritis and high blood pressure can also increase the chance of developing lichen planus.

Symptoms

There are three types of lesions reported in lichen planus, oral lesion, skin lesions and other clinical manifestations. The mouth lesions may be painful or tender and are located on both sides of your tongue. They are also found inside of your gums and cheeks. These lesions may be of blue white in color. They form a network of lines over time and the appearance of this network is very lacy. They also increase in size over time. The lesions or rash found on skin are very itchy and painful. They are mostly located on arms, legs, inner wrist, torso and genitals. They are shiny, dark, reddish purple in color. They have very sharp borders and symmetrical sides. They may develop into ulcers or blisters over time. Other clinical presentation of lichen planus includes the symptoms of dry mouth, loss of hairs, nail problems, metallic taste and changes in scalp color.

Treatment

There is no cure for lichen planus and it is a self-limiting disease. The symptoms of lichen planus usually resolve in 12-18 months. Your doctor does not prescribe any medicine for mild cases of lichen planus. The standard treatment plan for the severe case of lichen planus must include antihistamine for the reduction of itching. For inflammation and redness, steroid creams and ointments are proved to be very effective. When the rash or lesion changes their color, then you must stop these steroids. Phototherapy also plays an important role in the reduction of severity of symptoms. For most severe cases, your skin specialist may prescribe medicines for stopping the immune response. These medicines include oral steroids, cyclosporine capsules or acitretin tablets. If the lesions are formed in your mouth, the doctor may prescribe some mouthwashes or lozenges containing steroids.