Frequency of anti-HCV antibodies in lichen planus patients attending a tertiary care hospital Quetta, Balochistan.

Background Lichen planus (LP) is a common inflammatory disorder of the skin and mucous membranes having an unknown etiology. In addition to skin and mucous membranes, it also involves nails and hair. Classically it is characterized by pruritic, purple, polygonal, plan-topped papules and may have different clinical presentations like erosive, hypertrophic, atrophic, follicular (Lichen planopilaris), linear, actinic, pigmentosus, annular, guttate, and vesiculobullous. In recent years, many research articles showed association of Lichen planus with HCV infection. So, it is important to establish the clinical role of Lichen planus in the diagnosing of hepatitis C virus is an a pivotal and practical task. Methods This is a cross sectional study, having consecutive sampling of Non probability type. It is conducted at department of dermatology, Sandeman (Provincial) Hospital/ Bolan Medical College Quetta between January 2018 to June 2018. All the patients of either gender, aged 30 to 60 years and clinically diagnosed with Lichen Planus were enrolled. After a complete history and clinical examination, anti HCV antibodies was checked by kit method in the institutional laboratory. Results The mean age was 46.42 ±9.75 years. There were 89 (53.9%) females while 76 (46.1%) males. Mean duration of symptoms was 3.20±1.16 weeks. Frequency of positive anti HCV antibody was found in 53 (32.1%) patients while 112 (67.9%) patients were found to be negative. Conclusion The results of high frequency of Anti HCV antibodies support a possible association with lichen planus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]