History, clinical presentation, therapy, and patient reported outcomes of mucosal lichen planus: a cross-sectional study

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Neda Cramer - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Daniel Kromer - , Cytel Incorporated (Author)
  • Julia M. Bootsveld - , Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Sabine Sennhenn-Kirchner - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Sascha Gerdes - , University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel (Author)
  • Wiebke Sondermann - , University of Duisburg-Essen (Author)
  • Katharina Assaf - , University of Bonn (Author)
  • Matthias Goebeler - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • Dagmar Wilsmann-Theis - , University of Bonn (Author)
  • Claudia Günther - , Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Christian Kromer - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Rotraut Mössner - , University of Göttingen (Author)

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Mucosal lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory disease. The patient's journey can be arduous as diagnosis and therapy are challenging. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a wide range of characteristics of the patient's journey were assessed and evaluated from a total of 72 patients with mucosal LP who were treated in the dermatology departments of six German university medical centers between 02/2022 and 07/2023. Results: On average, 18.1 months elapsed between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis. Until the correct diagnosis was made, an average of 3.1 different physicians of the same or different specialties were consulted. 28.1% of patients also had cutaneous involvement. Therapeutically, 68% of patients received at least one systemic drug. Both topical (90%, 65/72) and systemic (oral, 50% of patients, 36/72; intravenous, 33%, 24/72) glucocorticoids were most frequently used. Systemic agents were most often discontinued due to ineffectiveness (46%, 50/110). Satisfaction with treatment was highest for intravenous and topical glucocorticoids (moderate to high satisfaction: 59% and 36%, respectively), and lowest for retinoids with 8%. Conclusions: This study indicates that there might be a lack of diagnostic awareness among physicians and the unmet need for effective systemic treatment options.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)449-462
Number of pages14
JournalJDDG - Journal of the German Society of Dermatology
Volume23 (2025)
Issue number4
Early online date16 Feb 2025
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-4330-1861/work/179393906
PubMed 39955732

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • cross-sectional study, mucosal lichen planus, oral lichen planus, patient's journey, therapy, treatment satisfaction