The Relationship between Lichen Planus and Hepatitis C in Birjand, Iran.

The reported prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with lichen planus (LP) shows variations in different regions. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of hepatitis C in Iranian patients with lichen planus at Imam reza hospital, city of Birjand, Iran. In this case-control study, seventy three cases of lichen planus, 31 (42.5%) women and 42 (57.5%) men were diagnosed. They were recruited after obtaining a verbal consent to participate in the study and after confirmation of the diagnosis by histology. In the patients, liver function tests were performed and the patients were screened for the presence of anti-HCV antibodies. We used the prevalence of HCV antibody among 150 volunteer blood donors (age and sex matched) for comparison as the control group. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the presence of anti-HCV antibodies in all subjects in both groups. All patients with lichen planus had normal liver function tests. Three (4.1%) out of the 73 lichen planus group, and 1 (0.67%) out of the 150 control group were seropositive for anti-HCV Antibody. This was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that a relationship exists between hepatitis C virus infection and lichen planus among Iranian patients from Birjand.