Study of clinical and histopathological findings of interface dermatitis and its correlation

Interface dermatitis is a broad term used for all the lesions having clinical features and histological features of epidermal basal cell damage and extensive mononuclear cell infiltration in the papillary dermis, all these lesions are also known as lichenoid dermatosis or “Lichenoid tissue reaction” (LTR). The aim of the study was to study in detail histopathological findings associated with interface dermatitis. Materials and methods: a total of 112 cases were studied. Material for this study included patients who were clinically diagnosed as having interface Dermatitis from the Department of Dermatology, Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, during the period from 2009-2011. Results: clinical diagnosis of the 112 cases diagnosed as interface dermatitis in the present study were as follows: The maximum number of cases 44 (39.29 %) were those of Lichen Planus, followed by discoid lupus erythematosus 10 (8.93 %), vitiligo 10 (8.93 %), lichen planus pigmentosus 9 (8.04 %), erythema multiforme 9 (8.04 %), subacute lupus erythematosus 6 (5.36 %), fixed drug eruption 6 (5.36 %), lichen sclerosis et atrophicus 6 (5.36 %), hypertropic lichen planus 6 (5.36 %) and 1 case of linear lichen planus, lichen plano pilaris, lichen nitidus, bullous lichen planus, atrophic lichen planus, lichen amyloidosis, and drug induced lichenoid reaction. Conclusion: the interface dermatitis encompasses disease in which there is epidermal basal cell damage, apoptosis of the cell with formation of colloid & civatte bodies, hydropic degeneration of the basal cell, basement membrane thickening, band like or patchy inflammatory infiltrate hugging the dermoepidermal junction and melanin incontinence