Frequency of Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Patients with Lichen Planus (A Hospital Based Cross Sectional Descriptive Study)

To determine the frequency of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with lichen planus presented to tertiary care hospital Hyderabad. Patiehts and Methods This cross sectional descriptive study of six months was carried at Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan from February 2008 to July 2008. All patients above 12 years of age, of either gender, were known / already diagnosed and newly diagnosed cases of lichen planus (LP) were came through outdoor patient department (OPD), indoor patient and causality outdoor department (COD) were evaluated and enrolled in the study. All such patients were screened for Helicobacter pylori infection by Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA). For getting result the data was saved and analyzed in SPSS version 10.00. RESULT: One hundred and five patients (105) were identified as lichen planus and screened for Helicobacter pylori infection. The Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) was positive in 81 (77%) subjects with mean age 42.89 ± ±13.32 (SD). Majority of the patient were presented in the department of dermatology; were females and belonged to the rural areas of Sindh province. Other features and presentation identified in such patients were epigastric pain (69%), retrosternal pain (17%) and haemetemesis in 07 patients.CONCLUSION: The patients with lichen planus are more prone to acquire the Helicobacter pylori infection.