A study of serum cortisol levels in patients with lichen planus

Objectives: Primary objective was to compare between the serum cortisol levels in patients with lichen planus (LP) and normal subjects. The secondary objective was to compare between the serum cortisol levels of LP patients with and without oral lesions. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytical study comparing the serum cortisol levels in patients with LP with that of age- and gender-matched normal subjects who attended a tertiary referral centre. Results: There were a total of 52 patients with LP in this study. The mean age was 48.1 ± 12.6 years. Male/female ratio was 1:1.9. Fifteen (28.8%) patients gave a history of recent stress in the 1 month before the onset of illness. Classical LP (34, 65.4%) was the most common type. Oral cavity was involved in 24 patients (46.2%). The mean serum cortisol level of patients with LP was higher than the same noted in age- and gender-matched normal subjects and this was statistically significant ( P < 0.001). Statistically significant difference ( P = 0.02) was noted between the serum cortisol levels of patients with different types of LP. No significant difference in the cortisol levels was observed between LP patients with and without oral lesions. Limitations: The main limitation of the study was the small sample size. Conclusion: This study showed a significant increase in serum cortisol levels in patients with LP when compared to normal subjects, while no significant difference was noted in cortisol levels between LP patients with and without oral lesions.