Extragenital lichen sclerosus: A retrospective study of 17 patients

Abstract

Introduction: Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory and atrophic dermatosis affecting preferentially the anogenital region. However, the cutaneous involvement remains less known and studied. Methods: We collected 17 patients to study the clinical and therapeutic features of cutaneous lichen sclerosus. Results: We noticed that the frequency of extragenital involvement in our series is high (about 40%). There is a female predominance (76%), with two infantile cases presenting a severe involvement. On the other hand, the absence of sclerosis, in early forms, does not eliminate the diagnosis. Moreover, breast involvement was frequent (41%) and atypical locations, such as the face, were reported. There was an equal frequency between the diffuse and the localized forms. A genital involvement must imperatively be sought. Conclusions: Our series mention the frequency of isolated cutaneous lichen sclerosus. Clinical presentation can be misleading in the early forms because of lack of sclerosis, variability of localizations, variability of severity, and the absence of anogenital lichen sclerosus.

Keywords

• cutaneous lichen sclerosus
• extragenital
• lichen sclerosus
• sclerosus