Open AccessAcral vitiligo and lichen sclerosus - Association or a distinct pattern?: A clinical and histopathological review of 15 cases
Author(s) -
Venkat Ratnam Attili,
Sasi Kiran Attili
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
indian journal of dermatology/indian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.395
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1998-3611
pISSN - 0019-5154
DOI - 10.4103/0019-5154.164411
Subject(s) - vitiligo , medicine , depigmentation , dermatology , lichen sclerosus , sex organ , genetic predisposition , oral mucosa , pathology , disease , genetics , biology
Background: Acral or acrofacial vitiligo (AFV) with bilateral lesions over the extremities and face is considered as a transitional form that may progress to generalized vitiligo. Oral and genital mucosal lesions are often integral to this pattern. Lichen sclerosus (LS) in a milder expression, results in oral and genital vitiligoid depigmentation without textural changes and thus needs to be differentiated from AFV. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 217 cases of AFV recorded over a period of 12 years. Results: One hundred and sixteen cases had associated oral/genital lesions. Among these, 15 patients demonstrated typical clinical as well as histological features of LS. Discussion: Coexistence of typical LS essentially among oral and genital lesions of acral vitiligo suggests that acral vitiligo might be a distinct sub-group of NSV. Since both the diseases have an autoimmune basis, the co-existence may be explained by epitope spreading, as a result of interface dermatitis seen in vitiligo. In addition, the possibility of a common genetic predisposition needs to be explored