[Childhood linear psoriasis]. / Le psoriasis lineaire de l'enfant.

Linear distribution of psoriasis is rare. This presentation offers to physicians some diagnostic difficulty, especially in the absence of a history of pre-existing psoriasis or in the presence of any other linear dermatosis. In this study, we report cases of 3 girls, ages 4 yr, 5 yr and 10 yr, admitted to our dermatology department. The clinical features and differential diagnosis of this skin disease which, in children, can be easily mistaken for inflammatory verrucous epidermal nevus, are discussed.

[Genital lichen sclerosus]. / Lichen sclereux genital.

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease which origin remains unknown. Its prevalence ranges from one in 300 to one in 1000 of all patients referred to a dermatology clinic in the seventeenth. Through the analysis of a hospital survey, we outline the epidemio-clinical aspects of this dermatosis. Over a 19-year period (1984-2002), we have conducted a retrospective and monocentric study of all patients with genital lichen sclerosus were examined at the dermatology department of Habib Thameur hospital. Thirty-four patients suffered from lichen sclerosus. There were 33 female and only one male (sex-ratio: 0.03). All patients underwent topical corticosteroid therapy (level I, II or IV). The recovery rate of lichen sclerosus was about 20% (7/34). An epidermoid carcinoma occurred in three patients. The frequency of lichen sclerosus in our study is estimated at 1,8 new cases per year. This frequency is probably under-estimated because of some patients' reluctance to seek help. A relatively low recovery rate of genital lichen sclerosus was found in our study. This may be related to an inadequate follow up added to an insufficient treatment adherence.