Anogenital Lichen Sclerosus: Literature Review and 12-patient Clinical Series in Children

Background and Objectives: Anogenital lichen sclerosus is of infrequent occurrence in children. The presented research is aimed to verify clinical features and treatment approaches to anogenital lichen sclerosus in children and adolescents. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical presentations and treatment response of 12 patients with anogenital lichen sclerosus; all stages of the study were retrospectively registered. Findings: 41% of the patients had extragenital morphea. 3 children were successfully treated with tacrolimus 0.03% ointment, due to the resistance to local steroid treatment the others received systemic therapy with corticosteroids, penicillamine or methotrexate; the remission was gained in all cases. Conclusions: Children with anogenital lichen sclerosus often have extragenital morphea backgrounded by immunological activity. The data suggest that step changing therapy in anogenital lichen sclerosus should start from local topic steroids and tacrolimus ointment, followed by systemic immunosuppressive medications.