CHILDHOOD LICHEN PLANUS: A STUDY OF 54 CASES FROM PAKISTAN

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Pediatrics
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Childhood Lichen Planus (LP) is uncommon.
• Understanding its clinical profile in specific populations is crucial for diagnosis and management.
• This study focuses on Pakistani pediatric patients presenting to dermatology outpatient services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the clinical profile of Childhood Lichen Planus (LP) in Pakistani patients.
• To describe the various clinical presentations and associated factors in pediatric LP.
• To compare findings with established adult LP characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to December 2023.
• Included new patients aged 15 years or younger with a clinical diagnosis of LP.
• Data collected included demographics, disease type, Koebner phenomenon, associated diseases, and analyzed using SPSS version 23.

Main Results:

• The mean age of onset was 9.79 years, with a mean duration of 11.63 months.
• Pruritus was reported in 94.4% of patients.
• Classic LP (64.9%) was most common, followed by hypertrophic (13.0%) and linear (11.1%) forms. Nail and mucosal involvement were infrequent (9.3% and 13.0% respectively).

Conclusions:

• Childhood LP shares similarities with adult LP presentations.
• Significant gender predominance was not observed.
• Nail and mucosal LP are rare in children, as are family history and associated systemic diseases.