Evaluation of The Efficacy of Oral Mini Pulse Dexamethasone Therapy in The Treatment of Lichen Planus | ||||
| International Journal of Medical Arts | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 10 June 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ijma.2025.314579.2024 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Asmaa A. Mansour  1; Hany Othman Aboelwafa2; Emad Elgmal2
| ||||
| 1Department of Dermatology, Almatarya Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health, Cairo, Egypt | ||||
| 2Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology, Damietta Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the skin and mucous membranes with an unclear etiology. While short-term use of topical corticosteroids is generally safe, extended application may lead to adverse effects. To mitigate these risks while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness, oral mini-pulse corticosteroid therapy has been introduced as an alternative approach. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of oral mini pulse dexamethasone therapy in the treatment of lichen planus. Methods: This was a prospective study over 3 months duration and including 40 patients with lichen planus who were treated with dexamethasone at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg/day, administered orally on two consecutive days per week. Clinical response of treatment was evaluated by clinical examination, scoring, photography and dermoscopic evaluation each visit for four weeks. Results: Skin lesions were recorded in all cases (100%). Orogenital lesions were recorded only in 19.5%. Most of the studied cases had good (55%), and excellent scores (5%), while only 30% and 10% of cases had fair and poor scores respectively. Most of the studied cases had recurrence (95%). Persistent oral and genital lesions were recorded in 7.5% and 5% of the studied cases respectively. Degree of improvement was significantly correlated with age and cutaneous symptomatic scores only. Conclusion: The current study concluded that administering dexamethasone as oral mini-pulse therapy—twice weekly on two consecutive days—may represent a safe, effective, and potentially superior therapeutic option for the management of lichen planus. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Oral Mini Pulse; Dexamethasone Therapy; Lichen Planus | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 50 |
||||
