Previous tuberculosis, hepatitis C virus and lichen planus - A report of 10 cases, a causal or casual link?

We report 10 cases of lichen planus (LP) and chronic liver disease linked t o HCV. The mean age was 63.4+/-5.1 years (range 51-73), five were female; s ix patients had an established cirrhosis of the liver, as shown by either a liver biopsy or the ultrasonographic and biohumoral evidence. The remainin g four patients had chronic hepatitis. Histological examination confirmed t he presence of LP: the localization of the dermatosis was restricted to the skin in four patients, to the mucous membranes in five (4 atrophic erosive and one erosive) while the remaining had mucous-cutaneous localization. A type II cryoglobulinemia was demonstrated in two and a type III in one of t he patients, while no one had otherwise circulating autoantibodies (anti-nu clear, anti-smooth muscle, anti- liver kidney microsomal type 1 and anti-mi tochondrial antigens) such as other etiological factors of liver disease. I n six of the patients the history was positive for previous Mycobacterium t uberculosis infection. In clinical practice the patients with chronic liver disease and HCV infection can also suffer from severe extrahepatic manifes tations, including lichen planus.