Comorbid diseases in patients with lichen planus in Jordan: A comparative case control Study

Lichen Planus (LP) is an immune mediated inflammatory skin condition characterized by the presence of pruritic purplish papular rash. We aimed to assess comorbid conditions such as diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias, metabolic syndrome, vitamin D deficiency, hypothyroidism, hepatitis C virus, and autoimmune disease in lichen planus patients in Jordan. A case-control study was conducted among 102 cases with age and gender-matched 102 controls. A thorough clinical exam and blood testing of fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, Vitamin D and B12, thyroid function, uric acid, and hepatitis C status were done. The mean age of patients was 43.7 +/- 16 years, and females predominated 58 (57%). The cases had higher levels of blood glucose (p-value 0.03), LDL (0.001), TG (p-value 0.001), total cholesterol (p-value 0.001), uric acid (p-value 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (p-value 0.001), and lower levels of HDL (p-value 0.001), vitamin D (p-value 0.001), and T4 (p-value 0.001) compared to controls. However, there was no significant difference regarding TSH, B12, and hepatitis C status. After adjustment of age and gender, linear regression revealed that all findings were similar. The study revealed that LP patients had significant alternations with comorbid conditions such as high blood glucose, dyslipidemias, low thyroid hormone, low vitamin D levels, low uric acid levels, and high blood pressure.