Childhood lichen planus

Abstract

Lichen planus (LP) is a relatively uncommon chronic skin condition with varied clinical presentations seen mostly in adults. It is rarely encountered in children, although increasingly more pediatric cases are being recognized and reported. LP can affect skin, mucosae, hair and nails, alone or in various combinations. All forms of LP seen in adults also occur in children. Certain types (eruptive, generalized) are observed more commonly in children than adults whereas appendageal (follicular and nail), mucosal (oral, genital, esophageal), hypertrophic and bullous variants have also rarely been reported in pediatric population. The exact etiopathogenesis of LP is not known. Immune dysregulation, infections, environmental, and genetic factors have been studied extensively and speculated to play some roles. A wide variety of treatment modalities for LP have been used in adults, and the same are employed in children. There is dearth of randomized controlled trials of evidence based treatments in LP, especially in children probably because of the rarity of the condition, heterogeneity of presentations, and gaps in understanding the exact etiology. This review attempts to present the up to date current information on the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, clinical features and therapeutic options for lichen planus in children.