Relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and lichen planus (LP) is well known but controversial in the literature.
Aim: Two patients with lichen planus and chronic hepatitis C are presented. One of them suffered with disseminated LP and the other had cutaneous and oral erosive symptoms.
Methods: The chronic hepatitis of the patients was proved by elevated ALT and AST level, anti HCV (ELISA) and HCV-PCR serological examinations and liver biopsy. The diagnosis of lichen planus established on he typical clinical symptoms and the histological examination.
Results: HCV RNA in the skin specimen from the biopsy of the skin lesion was detected by RT-PCR method, but the non affected skin specimen from the first patient was HCV RNA negative. Treatment of the chronic hepatitis C with specific therapy (interferon-alpha + ribavirin) in the second patient led to the regression of lichen planus symptoms.
Conclusions: The authors supposed that the lichen planus is one of the extrahepatic manifestations of HCV infection and there is a real correlation between the two diseases in these cases.