Lichen striatus: clinical features and follow-up in 12 patients

Lichen striatus (LS) is an uncommon disease of unknown origin characterised by a linear inflammatory papular eruption with spontaneous regression. We here review a series of 12 consecutive cases of LS. Diagnosis was supported by histological examination. Ten of our 12 patients were children aged 6 m onths to 12 years. The mule gender predominated by 9:3. The lower limb was involved more often than the upper limb and trunk. The duration of the dise ase until regression ranged from 3, months to 4 years (median, 12 months). Postinflammatory hypopigmentation was noted in 5, and hyperpigmentation in 4 patients. Two patients showed nail involvement (onychodystrophy. longitud inal ridging) which appeared simultaneously with the skin lesions and resol ved completely. a personal history of atopic disorders was found in 7 of 12 patients. From this series we can confirm that LS mainly affects children. Both skill and nail lesions disappear completely even if they last longer than one ye ar. Compared with other studies, our series showed differences with regard to sex ratio, predilection sites and after effects.