title: Actinic lichen planus in a Japanese man: first case in the East Asian population.
abstract: Actinic lichen planus (ALP) is a rare variant of lichen planus in which lichen planus develops on the light-exposed areas of the skin. ALP is reported to occur in the African, Middle Eastern,and Indian populations, with very few cases reported in Caucasians. Here, we report a case of ALP in a Japanese man; to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported occurrence of ALP in the East Asian population. A 52-year-old Japanese man developed recurrent painful annular erythema on the face and hands. Histopathological examination of his skin biopsy revealed lichenoid-type infiltrates of lymphocytes and histiocytes. We established a diagnosis of ALP on the basis of the distribution of eruptions only on the sunlight-exposed areas and histological findings. Oral administration of systemic steroids proved effective in improving his condition. Lichen planus is known to be induced by an irritant (Koebner phenomenon);we believe that our patient is genetically susceptible to sunlight exposure and that sunlight acted as an irritant stimulating the development of ALP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo, Japan. dekio@mx2.et.tiki.ne.jp
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dekio
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuki
authors.forename: Minao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furumura
authors.forename: Eishin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Akimichi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D044466:Asian People; D001706:Biopsy; D004890:Erythema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D005145:Face / Q000473:pathology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006225:Hand / Q000473:pathology; D006644:Histiocytes / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013256:Steroids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids