Disease Information for Lichen striatus

Lichen planus is an inflammatory mucocutaneous condition with characteristic violaceous polygonal flat-topped papules and plaques; Pruritus is often severe; Skin lesions may be disfiguring, and involvement of the oral mucosa or genital mucosa in severe cases may be debilitating; Oral lichen planus may predispose to the development of squamous cell carcinoma within lesions; Involvement of the scalp and the nails may also occur; Lichen planus is an inflammatory mucocutaneous condition that usually exhibits a distinctive morphology; but the condition does not appear to exhibit a racial predilection; It most commonly affects middle-aged adults of both sexes, with a slight predominance in women; The classic appearance of skin lesions includes violaceous polygonal flat-topped papules and plaques ; Early cutaneous lesions may be difficult to diagnose, often appearing as scattered erythematous papules; More developed and extensive lesions may mimic discoid lupus, psoriasis or secondary syphilis; The flexor surfaces of the extremities, particularly the wrists, are common locations for lichen planus [Lichen striatus is variant of lichen planus]-------

Lichen striatus appears as a continuous or interrupted, linear band consisting of small (1- to 3-mm) pink, tan, or skin-colored lichenoid papules; The papules may be smooth, scaly, or flat topped; Occasionally, a vesicular component is present; The band may range from a few millimeters to 1-2 cm wide and extends from a few centimeters to the full length an extremity; The lesions are usually unilateral and single on an extremity along the Blaschko line; In rare cases, they may be bilateral or occur in multiple parallel bands; The lesions are most commonly located on a proximal extremity and less commonly on the trunk, head, neck, or buttock; In darkly pigmented individuals, eruptions may appear as a bandlike area of hypopigmentation;Nail involvement is uncommon with fewer than 30 reported cases worldwide; Nail lesions may occur before, after, or concurrently with the skin lesions; They may also be the only area of involvement; Often, only the medial or lateral portions are involved, and involvement is almost always restricted to one single nail; Nail changes may include longitudinal ridging, splitting, onycholysis, nail loss, hyperkeratosis of the nail bed, thinning or thickening of the nail plate, nail pitting, onychodystrophy, punctuate and striate leukonychia, and overcurvature of the nail plate;Causes: The etiology of lichen striatus is unknown

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