Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Lichen Planus: A Cross-sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Center

BACKGROUND: There have been reports of association between lichen planus (LP) and metabolic syndrome and its various parameters. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with LP and to determine the association between the morphologic types of LP and metabolic syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study conducted over a period of 1 year, 70 clinically diagnosed patients with LP were included and evaluated for metabolic syndrome based on the modified National Cholesterol Education Program: Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17 software, and inferential statistical tools such as t-test for continuous data and Chi-square test for categorical data were used. RESULTS: A 35.7% prevalence of metabolic syndrome was found in patients with LP. The average duration of LP was found to be higher in patients with metabolic syndrome. There was a higher prevalence of central obesity, increased fasting blood sugar, and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterolin patients with LP. CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome was seen in 25 patients (35.7%) with LP. It is important to advise our patients to adopt healthy lifestyle choices to help prevent comorbidities and improve the general health of population. As this study was a cross-sectional study, the directionality of the association between LP and metabolic syndrome could not be assessed. Lack of controls and a small sample size are other limitations of our study.