| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2011 | Volume
: 77
| Issue : 1 | Page : 28--36 |
Lichen simplex chronicus of anogenital region: A clinico-etiological study
R Rajalakshmi, Devinder Mohan Thappa, Telanseri J Jaisankar, Amiya Kumar Nath
Department of Dermatology and STD, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India
Correspondence Address:
Devinder Mohan Thappa
Department of Dermatology and STD, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry-605 006
India
DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.74970 PMID: 21220876
Background: Lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) of the anogenital region, is a benign, extremely uncomfortable disease. Aims: As very little is known about the cause of anogenital LSC (AGLSC), we undertook this study to determine various clinico-etiological factors involved in it and to assess the frequency of AGLSC. Methods: This was a descriptive study, including 105 patients with AGLSC, who attended the Dermatology clinic in our institute from September 2007 to June 2009. Detailed history, physical examination, and relevant investigations were done. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed. Results: The frequency of AGLSC among patients presenting with anogenital pruritus was 2.54%. Primary AGLSC was more common than secondary AGLSC (69.5% vs. 30.5%). AGLSC manifested more commonly in males than in females (56.2% vs. 43.8%). The mean duration of the disease was 30.6 months. The common triggering factors for itching were sweating (41.9%), rubbing of thighs while walking for long distances (9.5%), and mental stress (5.7%). Pruritus of AGLSC was related to the intake of various food items in 37.1% of patients. In males, scrotum was the predominant site involved (89.8%), whereas in females, labia majora was the predominant site involved (78.2%). Nearly one-third of cases (30.5%) of AGLSC had some other dermatoses in the anogenital region. Conclusions: Though psychological factors are thought to play an important role in disease causation and perpetuation among AGLSC patients, their significance could not be ascertained by us.
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