title: High prevalence of thyroid disease in patients with lichen sclerosus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between lichen sclerosus and thyroid disease in our patient population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective chart review of patients seen between January 1995 and September 2005 with biopsy-proven lichen sclerosus. Charts were reviewed to assess the patients' history of thyroid disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 211 patients with biopsy-proven lichen sclerosus, 63 (29.9%) of whom had thyroid disease. In women <55 years old, 25 of 74 (33.8%) had thyroid disease; in women > or = 55 years old, 38 of 137 (27.7%) had thyroid disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of thyroid disease in our patients with biopsy-proven lichen sclerosus is almost 30% and is not dependent upon age. This prevalence is 5- to 30-fold greater than in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. debra.birenbaum@hitchcock.org
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Birenbaum
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D007724:Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus / Q000150:complications*