Comorbidity of Urogynecological and Gastrointestinal Disorders in Female Patients with Lichen Sclerosus

Abstract

Objective Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with a significant impact on quality of life. The aim of this cross-sectional case-control study was to characterize concomitant urogynecological and gastrointestinal disorders in female patients with LS. Methods A medical records search between 2004 and 2012 yielded 455 women and girls (mean age 64 years) with LS. The study cohort was compared with a 10-fold age- and sex-matched control cohort. Gynecological cancers and their precursors; gynecological, urinary, and gastrointestinal disorders; and pain syndromes were evaluated. Results The well-known association between LS and increased risk of vulvar cancer and its precursors was also found in our study (relative risk [RR] = 100.0; p