A Clinico-Pathological Study of Lichenoid Tissue Reactions-A Tertiary Care experience

Abstract

The aim of this article was to study the spectrum of clinico-histopathological lesions with an age and sex distribution in various lichenoid reactions of the skin. The spectrum of clinical diseases which is related to the lichenoid tissue reaction is wider. There is a recent increase in the relatively new subgroups of the lichenoid clinical picture. This was a one and a half year prospective study which was conducted in the Dermatopathology Section of the Department of Pathology, from January 2011 to June 2012. All the patients who visited the Dermatology Outpatients/ Inpatients Department and presented with lichenoid tissue reactions were included in the study. The selected patients' clinical findings were noted and their informed consents and an institutional ethical clearance were taken. Light microscopy was used for the histopathological diagnosis. The SPSS, version 14 software was used to analyze the data. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. During the study period, 107 cases were clinically diagnosed as lichenoid reactions, of which 84 cases were concordant on histopathology and 6 cases were diagnosed, solely based on the histology. So, a total of 90 cases were diagnosed histologically, of which 42 were of the Lichen planus type and 48 were lichenoid eruptions. Females were affected more commonly than the males. In our study, the lichenoid reactions were more common in children and the most common prototype was Lichen planus. So, we conclude that histopathology is a dependable tool for identifying the underlying cause in lichenoid reactions.