Lichen planus and HCV infection in Turkish patients

A relation between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with lichen planus (LP) has been reported in the literature but remains controversial. To find out the prevalence of HVC infection among patients with LP. Forty-one cases of LP diagnosed at the Dermatology Clinic of our hospital between March 1995 and May 1996 were evaluated (22 men and 19 women; mean age 41.6 years). They were screened for the presence of HBsAg, anti HBs, and anti-HCV by ELISA and HCV-RNA by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Blood donors registered in Ankara University Ibni Sina Hospital Blood Bank were used as a control group. Of the 41 LP patients, 2 (4.8%) had anti-HCV positivity together with HCV-RNA positivity. Twelve patients (29.2%) had anti-HBs and 3 patients (7.3%) had HBsAg positivity. In blood donors, anti-HCV positivity prevalence was 2.5%. The results of this study suggest that no relationship exists between hepatitis C virus infection and lichen planus among Turkish patients.