Lichen planus in children: classic and pigmentosus




Gustavo A. Lizardo-Castro, Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital Escuela Universitario, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Katia Aguilar-Gutiérrez, Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Escuela, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Óscar Hernández-Peñalva, Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Escuela, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Tegucigalpa, Honduras


Introduction: Lichen planus is a papulosquamous disorder affecting skin, mucous membranes, hair and nails. It affects both sexes and is rare in childhood. It is clinically characterized by a classic form with flat, pruritic, purpuric and polygonal papules and plaques, and several variants depending on its morphology and location. Clinical cases: The first case is a 10-yearold female, with dermatosis located on the limbs and trunk, consisting of papules and characteristic plaques. The second case is a 5-year-old female, with hyperpigmented macules on the face, neck and axillary folds; hyperpigmented or violaceous macules asociated with patchy lesions on arms, trunk, buttocks and thighs, with lesions in large coalescing violet patches on forearms and legs. The histopathological study of both cases confirmed the diagnosis of lichen planus. Conclusion: Case 1 is characteristic of classical lichen planus; In Case 2, because of the presence of hyperpigmented and violet macules coexisting with patchy lesions, we consider it to be a diffuse pigment lichen planus, which is a rare variant of lichen planus, especially in pediatric age.



Keywords: Lichen planus. Classical. Pigmentosus. Diffuse. Variants. Children.