Evaluation of serum levels of vitamin B12 in patients with lichen planus

Oral lichen planus is a chronic immunologic mucocutaneous disorder with an unknown etiology. This condition has various types. Erosive and bullous types of this disorder are painful and need to be treated. Several etiologies, such as immune cell disorders, stress and deficiencies of some vitamins have been suggested for this disorder. The aim of this study was to compare vitamin B12 serum levels in lichen planus patients and healthy subjects. In this case-control study, 20 healthy subjects and 32 subjects with lichen planus were selected as the control and case groups, respectively. The mean vitamin B12 serum levels were determined in both groups. Finally, data were analyzed by t-test and Chi-squared test using SPSS statistical software (α = 0.05). The mean vitamin B12 serum levels in the case and control groups were 328.87 ± 103 and 365.35 ± 83 pg/mL, with no significant differences between the two groups (p value = 0.12). Under the limitations of this study, no relationship was observed between vitamin B12 deficiency and lichen planus.