Published in:
01-10-2015 | Original Research Article
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Mucosal Lichen Planus: A Case–Control Study
Published in: American Journal of Clinical Dermatology | Issue 5/2015
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Background
Previous reports have demonstrated an association between chronic inflammation with metabolic syndrome (MS) and cardiovascular risk factors.
Aim
As lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory disease, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of MS, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and obesity in LP patients.
Methods
A total of 79 patients with LP and 79 controls were examined in this case–control study. Both groups were evaluated for the presence of MS, dyslipidemia, obesity and insulin resistance, and other cardiovascular risk factors. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein were measured as inflammation markers.
Results
The prevalence of MS was significantly higher in the patients with LP than in controls (26.6 vs. 12.7 %; P = 0.045). It was also significantly higher in LP patients with mucosal involvement than without (34.5 vs. 8.3 %; P = 0.032). Among the MS criteria, mean fasting blood glucose and diastolic blood pressure were also significantly higher in LP patients than in controls (P = 0.012 and P = 0.021, respectively). No significant differences between LP patients and controls were observed with respect to prevalence of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance (P = 0.866 and P = 1.000, respectively). However, duration of disease was significantly longer in patients with insulin resistance than in those without (P = 0.034).
Conclusions
The patients with LP, particularly those with mucosal involvement, have a higher prevalence of MS, which is associated with a risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus.