Annular lichen planus, a rare variant of lichen planus
The paper reviews current data on lichen ruber planus, a disease characterized by multifactorial pathogenesis, polymorphic clinical symptoms, severe long recurrent course, and a significant resistance to treatment. In the last decades, a substantial growth in the prevalence of this dermatosis is observed. Moreover, the rate of atypical cases also increases. The most common symptoms at disease onset are a generalized rash, severe itching, and malaise. Many patients present with acute clinical signs. Patients with the different forms of the disease (in particular, those with oral lichen planus) report on the significant reduction in the quality of life. The authors describe the specificity of clinical polymorphism, the variability of clinical manifestations and HLA system in annular lichen planus. The aim of this paper is to summarize currently available data considering the diversity of clinical variants which are required for the understanding of the pathogenesis to improve the diagnosis in difficult cases and to control its course. The authors also address a case study of annular lichen planus in a 63-year-old woman. KEYWORDS: lichen ruber planus, dermatosis, histopathology, HLA system. FOR CITATION: Zakhur I.I., Koshkin S.V., Bobro V.A. Annular lichen planus, a rare variant of lichen planus. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2020;4(10):642–646. DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2020-4-10-642-646.