Does Lichen Sclerosus Hit Some Regions Harder? A 20-Year Survey of Sweden Reveals Surprises

Lichen Sclerosus, often called LSc, is a skin condition causing chronic inflammation, mostly in the anogenital areas. It can lead to serious health issues, like cancer. A recent study in Sweden looked at the number of new LSc cases and who they affected from 2001 to 2021. The researchers used data from the Swedish National Patient Register to find 154, 424 patients with LSc. They also checked how often it happened in different parts of Sweden, and among people of various ages and genders.Turns out, LSc isn't equally common everywhere. The average rate in Sweden was 0. 81 cases per 1, 000 people. But in some regions, like Blekinge, Kalmar, and Gotland, it was way higher. Women got it more than men, with a rate of 1. 14 per 1, 000 women compared to 0. 47 per 1, 000 men. Skin doctors (dermatologists) and women's health specialists (gynecologists) treated most of these cases. Married and divorced people with LSc were less common than the national average for both men and women. This study shows that LSc doesn't affect everyone the same way. Future research needs to find out why some regions have more cases. This could help create better public health plans to handle LSc differently in various regions.