title: A study of 124 Indian patients with lichen planus pigmentosus.
abstract: Lichen planus pigmentosus is a fairly common disorder of pigmentation in Indians, but reports comprising a sizeable number of patients are lacking in the literature. We now describe the clinical and epidemiological features and histopathological findings for 124 lichen planus pigmentosus patients. A retrospective analysis of medical records of patients attending our centre during the past 12 years was undertaken. Of the 124 patients (56 male, 68 female), the majority (48.4%) had the disease for 6 months to 3 years. The face and neck were the commonest sites affected with pigmentation varying from slate grey to brownish-black. The pattern of pigmentation was mostly diffuse (77.4%), followed by reticular (9.7%), blotchy (7.3%) and perifollicular (5.6%). Lichen planus was noted in 19 patients with typical histopathological changes of the disorder. Lichen planus pigmentosus, a distinct clinical entity commonly encountered in the Indian population, should be considered in the spectrum of lichenoid disorders as a variant of lichen planus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kanwar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dogra
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Handa
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parsad
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Radotra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies