Lichen Planus: Patient's Reference

By JP Smithson

Lichen Planus is a rare, mucocutaneous, disorder involving an itchy rash, lesions or papules -- areas of inflamed eruptions – that recurs over a period of months or years. Special forms of lichen planus include: Drug-induced lichen planus, Lupus erythematosus-lichen planus overlap syndrome, Lichen planus pemphigoide, Keratosis lichenoides chronica, Lichenoid reaction of graft-versus-host disease, Lichenoid keratosis and Lichenoid dermatits. If you or a loved one has lichen planus, this invaluable reference contains causes, tests and available treatments along with a complete reference guide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andale LLC
• Release date: Nov 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466088368

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Lichen Planus: Patient’s Reference

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

Smashwords Edition

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Copyright 2012 JP Smithson, MA, M Awad MD (Ed.)

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Contents

What is Lichen Planus?

Causes

Signs and Symptoms

Preventative Measures:

Meeting the doctor for diagnosis

Treatment

Appendix A: Internet Resources / Further Reading

What is Lichen Planus?

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

There are various other conditions in which rashes are formed on the skin, such as eczema and psoriasis. However, these diseases are quite different from lichen planus. In lichen planus, the appearance of the affected skin is quite unique; the shape of the bumps which are formed as a result of lichen planus is used to diagnose it. Small bumps appear on various body parts, particularly near the wrists, elbows and ankles. These bumps are known as lesions and if you look closely at them, they will appear to have white lines. If your elbows or ankles are affected by lichen planus, it may not be very easy to observe these white lines. But if the affected parts are your lips or cheeks, you can easily view these white lines in a mirror. Lichen planus is also associated with a number of other diseases. For example, people who suffer from chronic Hepatits C of the liver have a high risk of developing lichen planus.

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

Close up of lichen planus

Some forms of lichen