title: The relationship between lichen planus and hepatitis C in dermatology outpatients in Kerman, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lichen planus (LP) is classified as a papulosquamous disease. It has been associated with liver disease, particularly hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, in several studies. Most of these reports, especially the larger series, were conducted in Europe and Japan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a case-control study in Kerman, Iran to explore the association between LP and HCV.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 66 patients with LP (as cases; mean age = 39.7 +/- 15.8 years; 31 female, 35 male) and 140 volunteer blood donors (as controls; mean age = 29.5 +/- 8.4 years; 43 females, 97 males). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the presence of anti-HCV antibodies in all subjects in both groups. To confirm positive diagnoses, a second generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA II) test was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lichen planus lesions were most frequently located on the trunk and extremities, and the most common clinical type was generalized LP (48.5%). One of the patients with LP (1.5%) and three of the controls (2.1%) were HCV-Ab positive. No significant difference was observed in HCV-Ab positive between the two groups (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.1-6.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate that an investigation for HCV infection should not necessarily be performed in all patients with LP. It is recommended that further studies should focus on larger groups in other regions of Iran to determine whether testing for HCV infection is necessary in patients with LP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Afzalipour Academic Health Center, Kerman Medical Science University, Kerman, Iran. zrahnama@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rahnama
authors.forename: Iraj
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Esfandiarpour
authors.forename: Saideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farajzadeh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies