Open AccessLichen sclerosus: Role of occlusion of the genital skin in the pathogenesis
Author(s) -
Somesh Gupta,
Amber Malhotra,
C Ajith
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
indian journal of dermatology, venereology, and leprology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.514
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 0973-3922
pISSN - 0378-6323
DOI - 10.4103/0378-6323.58681
Subject(s) - lichen sclerosus , dermatology , etiology , sex organ , spirochaete , pathogenesis , disease , medicine , immunology , biology , pathology , genetics , bacteria
Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which most commonly involves the anogenital region. The etiology of LS is obscure, but genetic susceptibility, autoimmune mechanisms, infective agents like human papillomavirus and spirochaetes, and Koebner phenomenon has been postulated as causative factors. We report our observation in 6 patients (3 males and 3 females) with histologically proven lichen sclerosus that showed relative sparing of the uncovered areas of the genitals, thereby suggesting that the occlusion of the genital skin may be playing a greater role in the causation of LS than is currently thought, in both sexes.