Morphological patterns of lichen planus in patients with anti-hepatitis C antibodies

Background Lichen planus (LP) has been reported in association with various liver disorders particularly hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Oral LP is the commonest morphological type seen in most of the studies. Objective To document the morphological types of LP in patients with HCV seropositivity in our community. Patients and methods In this prospective cross-sectional study, 41 patients of LP with anti-HCV antibodies, detected with second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were analyzed and documented. Results Hypertrophic and mixed pattern of LP were seen commonly (31% and 32% respectively) followed by erosive variety (20%). Conclusion In our patients, suspicion of associated HCV infection may be kept in mind not only in oral LP but also in other morphological types especially in hypertrophic variants.