Cortisol And Psychological Factors in Etiology of Lichen Planus

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Lichen planus is a common chronic inflammatory disease of oral mucosa and skin, whose exact pathogenic mechanisms have not been understood. Cortisol, has been used as an indicator in various psychological evaluation studies. Salivary cortisol measurement is an indicator of free cortisol in human serum and provides noninvasive and easy technique. Aims, evaluation of cortisol levels and psycho-immunity profile in lichen planus patients was done. Using case-control method. Materials and Method: 145 participants were admitted which had been done at dermatological outpatient clinic at Al-Yarmook Teaching Hospital. 32 patients were clinically proven cases of LP, 113 subjects along with age and sex-matched healthy controls. DASS Score questionnaire was administered to evaluate the psychiatric status (depression, anxiety and stress), Saliva samples were collected, and analyzed for cortisol level by using ELISA in study group and 46 of control group. The serum test were examined in 32 for each group using enhanced lanthanide fluoroimmunoassay technique for cortisol. Results: The mean serum and Salivary cortisol level of the LP group showed a very highly significant difference (p=0.001) from the controls in multivariate statistic. The mean of DASS scores and the depression derangement specifically showed a very highly significant difference (p=0.001) from the controls. The stress and anxiety derangement showed high difference but it failed to reach to significant difference from the controls. There is an important association between serum and salivary cortisol concentration. Conclusion: the cortisol and psychiatric factors play a vital role in the pathogenesis of LP and saliva cortisol could be a possible indicator instead of serum cortisol