الفهرس Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 177 |  |  |
| | | from | 177 | | |
Abstract
Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory immunologic disease in which epidermal or epithelial basal cell damage produces mucocutaneous lesions of various types.
Clinical studies found that a relatively strong female predilection, usually with 1: 2 male: female and 35% of patients are aged 50 years or older.
40% of patients present dermatologic and intraoral lesions, 35% only skin lesions and 25% only oral lesions.
The disease may also involve oesophagus, conjunctiva, bladder, nasal mucosa, larynx, pharynx, and stomach.
The aetiology of lichen planus is very complex, and the pathological process remains obscure. However, lichen planus is reported to be associated with stress, drugs, some systemic diseases and immunological disorder. Moreover, some cases are linked with diabetes mellitus and hepatitis C infection.
It has been proposed that basal cell death in lichen planus is attributed to apoptosis which is genetically controlled form of death
On the skin, the disease is usually of shorter duration, about three years. Where in 50% of patients, the lesions resolve within 6 months, and 85% subsides within 18 months.
On the other hand, oral lichen planus has been reported to have a mean duration of 5 years. The mucosal lesions are more chronic in nature with less than 20% of cases undergo complete remission.