Possible Mechanisms Involved in the Cooccurrence of Oral Lichen Planus and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

Peiyao Wu,Yuqing Yang,Peiyang Yuan,Qi Han,Shuhan Luo,Lu Jiang,Rui Wang,Xuemei Qiu,Tao Zhou

doi:10.1155/2020/6309238

Abstract

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disorder mediated by T cells, with a multifactorial etiology. Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by hypothyroidism. Although many clinical studies conducted over the past several decades have reported the cooccurrence of OLP and HT, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This review summarizes potential mechanisms that might be involved in the cooccurrence of OLP and HT. We find that OLP and HT share a common or overlapping pathogenesis in terms of immune, heredity, environmental, and hormonal factors, which might cause cooccurrence. Furthermore, considering the latency of HT, a routine screen for thyroid diseases, particularly HT, is suggested for confirmed OLP patients.

Highlights

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa affecting 0.5–2% of the population; middle-aged and elderly female populations are more commonly affected [1]
This suggests that Foxp3+ Treg cells play a role in OLP pathogenesis, which may be related to T cell resistance caused by decreased sensitivity of effector CD8+ T cells to Treg during OLP pathogenesis
This review summarizes and discusses the mechanisms underlying the cooccurrence of these two diseases, which might be related to a range of immune, environmental, endocrine, and genetic factors (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa affecting 0.5–2% of the population; middle-aged and elderly female populations are more commonly affected [1]. OLP etiopathology remains unknown, it is believed that immune dysregulation [2], psychological factors [3], and genetics [4] play crucial roles. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is characterized by the aggregation of autoantibodies in the thyroid and different degrees of thyroid follicle destruction, eventually leading to hypothyroidism [5]. The prevalence of HT is 2% in the general population, which continues to rise; females are significantly more likely to have HT [6]. This article reviews the potential mechanisms involved in the cooccurrence of these diseases

Clinical Studies of the Cooccurrence of OLP and HT

Potential Mechanisms Underlying the Cooccurrence of OLP and HT

Findings

Conclusions