Objectives: Co-occurrence of oral lichen planus (OLP) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection suggests a strong association, but the relation between mucocutaneus, autoimmune lichen planus and HCV infection remains unclear. In areas with higher prevalence of HCV infection in general population, like Japan and southern Europe, 20 to 40 % of patients with OLP test positive for anti-HCV antibodies, whereas in German populations, a co-occurrence of 4.2 to 16 % was reported.
Material and methods: We screened 143 patients with histopathologically proven OLP for prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies. Additionally, we examined 51 anti-HCV-positive subjects with current or past HCV infection for clinical symptoms of OLP. In all patients, confirmatory diagnosis was made by the detection of HCV RNA via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A randomized control group comprised 109 blood sera samples of patients without any characteristics of OLP.
Results: The results of all patients showed no co-occurrence in either cohort.
Conclusion: In conclusion, no association between oral lichen planus and chronic HCV infection in our study population was found.
Clinical relevance: Anti-HCV antibody screening in patients with confirmed oral lichen planus is not indicated routinely in central Germany.
Keywords: Anti-HCV antibodies; HCV prevalence; Hepatitis C; Oral lichen; RT PCR.