Can atrophic‐erosive oral lichen planus promote cardiovascular diseases? A population‐based study

Objective Lichen planus has been recently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases ( CVD s). The oral manifestations can be divided into white hyperkeratotic lesions ( WL ) and atrophic and erosive lesions ( RL ). The aim of this report was to compare the presence of CVD s between patients affected by WL or RL , to test the hypothesis that RL are associated with an increased incidence of CVD s. Subjects and methods Patients were analysed through a complete collection of all the risk factors for CVD s. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a cardiovascular event—acute coronary syndrome ( ACS ), any revascularization or stroke/ TIA . A multivariable logistic regression model, adjusted for age at diagnosis, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, hypertension, CVD s familiarity and periodontitis, was performed. Results A prospective cohort of 307 patients has been evaluated; 185 (60.3%) had WL and 122 RL (39.7%). Twenty‐four patients had a CVD . ACS occurred more frequently in RL (adjusted odds ratio 5.83; 95% CI : 1.16—29.39), mainly due to the higher risk of it after the histological diagnosis of Oral lichen planus OLP (odds ratio 4.23; 95% CI : 0.66—27.23). Conclusion Patients with RL could possibly have a higher risk of developing ACS . Further analysis on larger cohort is however warranted.