A Novel Study of Lichen Planopilaris Among Different Iranian Ethnicities based on Computer-aided Programs

Introduction: Demographic studies of a disease can reveal the characteristics of that disease among a specific population and will help the physicians to achieve a more accurate perception about it.The demographic of Lichen PlanoPilaris (LPP) among the Iranian population is unknown. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, demographic, and histopathologic findings of lichen planopilaris in the Iranian population.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the patients with Lichen planopilaris were referred to the dermatology clinic of Imam Khomeini hospital from 2013 to 2015. Lichen planopilaris can be diagnosed by collecting histological evidence, dermatological examination, and clinical diagnosis. Their demographic characteristics, drug histories, onset of disease, and family histories were obtained by written questionnaire. Additionally, this study employed SPSS v.20 as the statistical analysis software.Results: One hundred patients were enrolled in this study. With an average age of 47.11 years, 78% of the patients were female, and 50 of these were housewives. The patients included were often from Tehran with Fars ethnicity. Among these patients, 7 had alopecia areata skin disease, and 10 of them suffered from thyroid disease. Most of the histopathology samples collected from these biopsies revealed degeneration of the basal layer of the follicular structure, perifollicular fibrosis, inflammatory cells, and atrophy of the pilosebaceous structures.Conclusion: Both the age spectrum and the disease distribution of LPP among the Iranian population were very diverse when compared to previous studies. Moreover, this study helps the physicians to have a brighter vision about the main reason and cause of LPP spread among diverse Iranian Ethnicities.