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In recent years, lichen planus has been linked to chronic liver disease, in particular primary biliary cirrhosis and chronic active hepatitis secondary to hepatitis B. There have been scattered reports of hepatitis C - associated lichen planus (LP). This case - control study evaluated the prevalence and clinical characteristics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 78 consecutive patients with lichen planus. The 78 patients, all with newly diagnosed and untreated cutaneous or mucosal LP, were compared with a control group of 82 patients with newly diagnosed dermatoses other than LP. Serum was analyzed for HCV antibodies by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and for HCV antigens by the polymerase chain reaction.
Anti-HCV antibodies were …