title: Lichen sclerosus: role of occlusion of the genital skin in the pathogenesis.
abstract: Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which most commonly involves the anogenital region. The etiology of LS is obscure, but genetic susceptibility, autoimmune mechanisms, infective agents like human papillomavirus and spirochaetes, and Koebner phenomenon has been postulated as causative factors. We report our observation in 6 patients (3 males and 3 females) with histologically proven lichen sclerosus that showed relative sparing of the uncovered areas of the genitals, thereby suggesting that the occlusion of the genital skin may be playing a greater role in the causation of LS than is currently thought, in both sexes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi-110 029, India.
authors.forename: Somesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Amit Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ajith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018459:Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010413:Penis / Q000473:pathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014844:Vulva / Q000473:pathology*