Thyroid Disease and Oral Lichen Planus as Comorbidity: A Prospective Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background: Thyroid disease has been mentioned to have a possible relation to the development of oral lichen planus (OLP). Objective: Because goiter is considered endemic in many countries, we proposed to determine whether thyroid disease constitutes a comorbidity of OLP. Methods: Two hundred and fifteen patients diagnosed as having OLP were evaluated concerning their serum thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroxine (T₄) levels. The results were contrasted with those obtained in control series of the same number of subjects matched for age and sex. Results: Diagnosis of thyroid disease was present in 15.3% of OLP patients (33/215) and in 5.2% (12/215) of the control group. In relation to OLP patients, the odds ratio of presence of thyroid disorders was 3.06 and that of using levothyroxine medication 3.21. Conclusions: In the present study, OLP patients were associated with thyroid disease, specifically with hypothyroidism. Because most thyroid patients need T₄ treatment, our findings confirmed that OLP and thyroid disease could be comorbidities.

Oral symptoms and salivary findings in oral lichen planus, oral lichenoid lesions and stomatitis

“…A recent study showed that thyroid disease was present in 33 of 215 (15.3%) of patients with OLP compared to 12 of 215 (5.2%) in a control group [55]. However, in our study only 4 patients (6.1%) had a thyroid disease and the serum levels of TSH revealed that three of the healthy control might have hypothyroidism.…”

A mechanistic linkage between oral lichen planus and autoimmune thyroid disease

“…OLP has recently been associated with LT 4 intake (Robledo‐Sierra et al., , ) and hypothyroidism (Garcia‐Pola et al., ; Lo Muzio et al., ; Robledo‐Sierra et al., ; Siponen et al., ). To the best of our knowledge, only three studies have investigated the serum levels of antithyroid antibodies in patients with OLP (Alikhani et al., ; Chang et al., ; Lin et al., ).…”

“…Other studies have shown an increased use of thyroid medications among patients with OLP (Hirota, Moreno, dos Santos, Seo, & Migliari, ; Kragelund et al., ). Evidence also exists that thyroid disease, mainly hypothyroidism, is involved in the pathogenesis of OLP (Garcia‐Pola, Llorente‐Pendas, Seoane‐Romero, Berasaluce, & Garcia‐Martin, ; Lo Muzio, Santarelli, Campisi, Lacaita, & Favia, ; Siponen, Huuskonen, Laara, & Salo, ) and cutaneous lichen planus (Dreiher, Shapiro, & Cohen, ). The serum levels of thyroid antibodies, including antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase antibodies, are increased in patients with OLP (Alikhani et al., ; Chang, Chiang, Hsiao, & Sun, ; Lin, Wang, Chia, & Sun, ).…”

“…Other studies have shown an increased use of thyroid medications among patients with OLP (Hirota, Moreno, dos Santos, Seo, & Migliari, 2011;Kragelund et al, 2003). Evidence also exists that thyroid disease, mainly hypothyroidism, is involved in the pathogenesis of OLP (Garcia-Pola, Llorente-Pendas, Seoane-Romero, Berasaluce, & Garcia-Martin, 2016;Lo Muzio, Santarelli, Campisi, Lacaita, & Favia, 2013;Siponen, Huuskonen, Laara, & Salo, 2010) and cutaneous lichen planus (Dreiher, Shapiro, & Cohen, 2009).…”

Association between the clinical severity of oral lichen planus and anti-TPO level in thyroid patients

“…16 It has been suggested that patients with a history of thyroid gland disorders, especially hypothyroidism, are more likely to have OLP than healthy subjects. 17,18 No studies were found in English-language publications, however, that had found a possible association between the severity of clinical signs of OLP and the serum titer of anti-TPO antibodies (TPOAb) in OLP patients who have also been diagnosed with thyroid disease. The current study examined a possible association between the clinical severity of OLP and the titer of serum TPOAb in OLP patients with thyroid disease.…”