JP Smithson - Lichen Planus: Patients Reference

Lichen Planus: PatientsReference

JP Smithson, MA, M Awad MD(Ed.)

Smashwords Edition

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Copyright 2012 JP Smithson, MA, M AwadMD (Ed.)

Smashwords Edition, LicenseNotes

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Contents

Lichen planus is a condition whererashes appear due to the inflammation of skin tissues. These rashesare usually small and many-sided, or polygonal, in shape. They maygrow together and then turn into rough patches on the skin. Theycan appear on different parts of the body and can also occur in thelining of mouth or vagina. The reason why this condition occurs maybe because the body starts to attack itself; it is a processstarted by the cells of the body. Some researchers think that itmay be an outcome of an autoimmune disease. In an autoimmunedisease, a body starts reacting abnormally to something which isnormally present in human body. Some people also think that lichenplanus is caused by cancer but no link between cancer and lichenplanus has so far been proved. Lichen planus is not contagious, andso it is not transmitted from one person to another.

There are various other conditions inwhich rashes are formed on the skin, such as eczema and psoriasis.However, these diseases are quite different from lichen planus. Inlichen planus, the appearance of the affected skin is quite unique;the shape of the bumps which are formed as a result of lichenplanus is used to diagnose it. Small bumps appear on various bodyparts, particularly near the wrists, elbows and ankles. These bumpsare known as lesions and if you look closely at them, they willappear to have white lines. If your elbows or ankles are affectedby lichen planus, it may not be very easy to observe these whitelines. But if the affected parts are your lips or cheeks, you caneasily view these white lines in a mirror. Lichen planus is alsoassociated with a number of other diseases. For example, people whosuffer from chronic Hepatits C of the liver have a high risk ofdeveloping lichen planus.

Generally, lichen planus can affectpeople of any age group without any distinction of race and sex.However, if you are a middle-aged adult, the risk that you willacquire lichen planus is much greater. In women, lichen planusoften affects the inner lining of the mouth or vagina.

Close up of lichen planus

Some forms of lichen planus aregenetic. This means that you may suffer from it if one or both ofyour parents had it. One such form is genetic blister lichenplanus. These forms are very rare. Lichen planus can also be causedby the use of certain medications (e.g. drugs for heart disease, orelevated blood pressure).This is called lichenoid reaction and insuch cases, the problem is usually mild, and if the use of thatparticular drug or medication is stopped, the problem of skinrashes would also be resolved. Most lichen planus cases are notcaused by the use of drugs or any medications and need detailedtreatment. If you are suffering from lichen planus and you go tosee a skin specialist (dermatologist) for your condition, youshould tell him about all the drugs or medications that you haverecently used. This may be helpful in diagnosing and treating yourlichen planus.

What body parts areaffected?

Lichen planus usually affects the skinor the inner lining of mouth or vagina. There are different formsof lichen planus which affect the skin differently. If lichenplanus is mild, it may only cause a redness of the skin and a mildfeeling of itching. But if it is severe, it can cause the erosionof skin tissues and the itching feeling can be extreme. The lesionsthat are formed on the skin as a result of lichen planus are calledpapules. These polygonal papules have a size of 1 mm to 1 cm andusually appear on your skin in groups.

The tongue is one of the most commonorgans that get affected by lichen planus. If your tongue getsaffected, lesions will appear. Lesions are simply damaged tissuesof the body. These lesions are accompanied with white or graystreaks when they affect your tongue. These lesions may occur onmany other parts of the body too which include the passage of thefood through stomach and intestines the gastrointestinal tract orGIT. They may also affect the inner lining of the vagina and vulvain the females or genitals in males. The same kind of linear whiteshapes, which looks like scratch marks, appear on the vagina andgenitalia. If you are suffering from lichen planus and the affectedpart is the vulva, the nature of your condition can vary from mildto very severe. In mild cases, you may simply experience theformation of small bumps appear in groups on the inner lining ofyour vulva. But if you are suffering from a severe form of lichenplanus, it can result in the erosion of your vulvar skin tissues.Severe lichen planus can also cause dyspareunia, which is painfulsexual intercourse. It may also result in abnormal narrowing of theurethra (the canal that carries the urine that is passed out of thebody). According to a number of reports, if you are a female who issuffering from oral lichen planus, there is a 50% risk that youwill also be suffering from vulvar lichen planus.

Oral Lichen Planus

If your genitals are affected by lichenplanus, red areas will appear on them. This could be an indicationof the presence of lichen planus, although it could also be asymptom of many other diseases including sexually transmitteddiseases or a fungal infection. If red patches appear on yourgenitals, you should immediately see your doctor for diagnosis andtreatment because self-diagnosis of lichen planus is maybepractically impossible without ruling other disease out. Lichenplanus may also affect the hair and nails and may result in theloss of both. In such a case, if you dont get your lichen planusdiagnosed and treated soon enough, your nails and hair stop growingor irreversibly fall out.

The symptoms of lichen planus depend onthe body part which the condition affects. You may start sufferingfrom it all of a sudden or it may occur gradually. When you arefirst affected by lichen planus, the attack may continue for weeksor even months.

Signs and Symptoms

The most obvious sign of lichen planusis the occurrence of bumps on the skin of your body. These bumpsare about up to 4 mm in diameter. They are many-sided and areangular. Normally, the color of these bumps is reddish orviolet.

Nail problems are present in about 10percent of patient suffering from lichen planus. If lichen planushas affected your nails, initially it will make your nails becomethin and brittle. If you dont get this treated soon, this mayworsen the condition of your nails. In the worst case, nails maystop growing and may start to separate from the nail-bed. Lichenplanus may also result in the darkening of skin in those parts ofyour body which are affected.

In the initial stages of lichen planus,normally the skin near your wrists is first affected and lesionsare formed on it. This continues for almost a week and after that,many other body parts may also become affected. In about two to 16weeks, the condition can become severe and you may startexperiencing intense itching on the affected areas of the skin. Theintensity of your condition is directly correlated by the intensityof the itching that you experience. If it is intense itching, thenyour lichen planus is also severe. Likewise, if the itching ismild, your condition is generally mild. If lichen planus affectsthe insides of your mouth, you may feel a burning sensation becauseof the appearance of lesions. If the disease also causes an erosionof tissues from the insides of your mouth, this can make thepresence of lesions even more painful.