A clinical and epidemiological study of lichen planus among Egyptians of al-Minya province.

Background: Lichen planus (LP) is a papulosquamous disease that affects skin and mucous membranes. It may also affect hair and nails. From the middle east, studies concerning its prevalence and clinical characteristics are few. This study presents the clinical and epidemiological pattern of LP among the Egyptian people. We analyzed the clinical and epidemiological data obtained from 50 LP patients who attended the dermatology outpatient clinic of al-Minya University Hospital, al-Minya, Egypt over a 1-year period. Lichen planus was present in 0.28 percent of the patients (females 44%, males 56%). The age range was 10-65 years; the majority fall in the 21-50 age group. Presentations include actinic LP (36%), classic LP (30%), hypertrophic LP (12%), guttate LP (6%), atrophic LP (4%), follicular LP (4%), and isolated oral LP (8%). Pruritus was the chief complaint of 50 percent of these patients. In 56 percent of patients, limbs were the initial site of onset.