Objectives:

To study the epidemiological distribution of the disease lichen planus and its therapeutic management.

Methods:

A total of 174 patients with a lichen planus diagnosis between 2008 and 2017 at a Portuguese public hospital were included in this retrospective study. The following data were collected from clinical records: gender, age, topographic distribution of lesions, prescribed therapy (active substance, route, and scheme of administration), mean duration of illness, and episodes of cure and relapse. Statistical analysis was performed using IBMR SPSSR Statistics software, version 25.

Results:

In this population, lichen planus affected both genders with the same probability (p=0.820), and was more prevalent in the 4th-5th decades of age. The lesions appeared in the skin (75.9% of the patients), mucous membranes (5.2%), or both (19.0%). The most prescribed drugs were corticosteroids, followed by antihistamines and immunosuppressants. Topical corticosteroids were the most common ones, namely clobetasol propionate (37.4%). Within the systemic corticosteroids, prednisolone was the most prescribed drug (12.3%). The average duration of lesions and symptoms was approximately 6.5 months. For the relapsing population (12%), the mean period of symptoms’ remission was 513 days.

Conclusions:

The epidemiological parameters of lichen planus in these Portuguese patients bear similarities with other described populations. No evidence-based therapeutic has proven to be effective for lichen planus treatment, but topical corticosteroids continue to be the firstline therapy for this pathology.

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